What happened
During the rotation phase of the takeoff roll, the nose landing gear detached from the aircraft and remained on the runway. As the aircraft continued its climb and passed over the separated nose gear assembly, the underside of the fuselage sustained damage.
The crew successfully completed the takeoff and subsequently performed an emergency landing. At the time of landing, the main landing gear was extended along with only the stub of the nose landing gear shock strut.
The investigation
Upon disassembly of the inner cylinder of the shock strut, investigators discovered that several parts were missing. Although the area where these components are located is a sealed section that showed no signs of external compromise, the absence of these parts created a mechanical discrepancy. This condition allowed a retention nut to back off from its position, which directly led to the separation of the nose gear assembly.