A piper PA-31 on landing rollout. Aircraft encountered severe vibration and could not clear runway. ...

Attributes
ACN	602715
Time
Date	200312
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Weather Elements	Ice Snow
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	PA-31 Navajo Chieftan/Mojave/Navajo T1020
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	landing : roll
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 104 flight time total : 10400 flight time type : 200
ASRS Report	602715
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : tire failure other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Airport Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

Preflight was normal with nothing abnormal being noticed on any area or part of the aircraft. All checklists were accomplished as per normal. Landing or touchdown was normal, full flap landing and on centerline until nose gear was lowered to runway. 1-2 seconds after nose gear contacted runway, a severe vibration was noticed. I thought that steering linkage broke or the shimmy dampening device malfunctioned or the nosewheel was flat. I braked to a stop on the runway. Main gear straddled centerline with nose gear about 1 1/2 ft right of centerline when aircraft came to a stop. I added power slightly and immediately determined that the problem was a flat tire so I then reduced power to idle. During the landing roll, tower requested that I hurry off of the runway. I advised them that I would try. When I felt that I could not comply with their instructions, I immediately notified them and told them that I thought that I had a nosewheel tire that was flat and could not taxi clear of the runway. I notified maintenance that I was on the runway and could not taxi and would need to be towed off of the runway. I also notified tower that I had notified maintenance and they said that they would handle it from here and directed me to ground control. Passenger stated that the landing was good with all appearing normal. Maintenance/line men came out and put aircraft on a dolly and then towed aircraft to maintenance hangar. When in the hangar, I inspected the nose gear and wheel. It appeared to me that the only damage was the tire. A mechanic inspected the tire and questioned me on where the aircraft had been parked. I told him that I had parked it on the FBO X at ZZZ2 for about 30 mins and on the FBO Y ramp at ZZZ for about 1 1/2 hours. I then asked him why. He said that it looked like the tire had been subjected to skydrol or jet fuel as the tire appeared to be melted in spots. Those spots were soft and mush, not scrape marks.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PIPER PA-31 ON LNDG ROLLOUT. ACFT ENCOUNTERED SEVERE VIBRATION AND COULD NOT CLR RWY. FOUND NOSE TIRE APPEARED MELTED BY SKYDROL OR JET FUEL CONTAMINATION.

Narrative: PREFLT WAS NORMAL WITH NOTHING ABNORMAL BEING NOTICED ON ANY AREA OR PART OF THE ACFT. ALL CHKLISTS WERE ACCOMPLISHED AS PER NORMAL. LNDG OR TOUCHDOWN WAS NORMAL, FULL FLAP LNDG AND ON CTRLINE UNTIL NOSE GEAR WAS LOWERED TO RWY. 1-2 SECONDS AFTER NOSE GEAR CONTACTED RWY, A SEVERE VIBRATION WAS NOTICED. I THOUGHT THAT STEERING LINKAGE BROKE OR THE SHIMMY DAMPENING DEVICE MALFUNCTIONED OR THE NOSEWHEEL WAS FLAT. I BRAKED TO A STOP ON THE RWY. MAIN GEAR STRADDLED CTRLINE WITH NOSE GEAR ABOUT 1 1/2 FT R OF CTRLINE WHEN ACFT CAME TO A STOP. I ADDED PWR SLIGHTLY AND IMMEDIATELY DETERMINED THAT THE PROB WAS A FLAT TIRE SO I THEN REDUCED PWR TO IDLE. DURING THE LNDG ROLL, TWR REQUESTED THAT I HURRY OFF OF THE RWY. I ADVISED THEM THAT I WOULD TRY. WHEN I FELT THAT I COULD NOT COMPLY WITH THEIR INSTRUCTIONS, I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THEM AND TOLD THEM THAT I THOUGHT THAT I HAD A NOSEWHEEL TIRE THAT WAS FLAT AND COULD NOT TAXI CLR OF THE RWY. I NOTIFIED MAINT THAT I WAS ON THE RWY AND COULD NOT TAXI AND WOULD NEED TO BE TOWED OFF OF THE RWY. I ALSO NOTIFIED TWR THAT I HAD NOTIFIED MAINT AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULD HANDLE IT FROM HERE AND DIRECTED ME TO GND CTL. PAX STATED THAT THE LNDG WAS GOOD WITH ALL APPEARING NORMAL. MAINT/LINE MEN CAME OUT AND PUT ACFT ON A DOLLY AND THEN TOWED ACFT TO MAINT HANGAR. WHEN IN THE HANGAR, I INSPECTED THE NOSE GEAR AND WHEEL. IT APPEARED TO ME THAT THE ONLY DAMAGE WAS THE TIRE. A MECH INSPECTED THE TIRE AND QUESTIONED ME ON WHERE THE ACFT HAD BEEN PARKED. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD PARKED IT ON THE FBO X AT ZZZ2 FOR ABOUT 30 MINS AND ON THE FBO Y RAMP AT ZZZ FOR ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS. I THEN ASKED HIM WHY. HE SAID THAT IT LOOKED LIKE THE TIRE HAD BEEN SUBJECTED TO SKYDROL OR JET FUEL AS THE TIRE APPEARED TO BE MELTED IN SPOTS. THOSE SPOTS WERE SOFT AND MUSH, NOT SCRAPE MARKS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

A piper PA-31 on landing rollout. Aircraft encountered severe vibration and could not clear runway. Found nose tire appeared melted by skydrol or jet fuel contamination.