Accident Narrative
The instructor reported that the airplane touched down normally on its main landing gear. When the nose gear made contact with the runway, the airplane veered sharply to the right and exited the right side of the runway. The private pilot student, who was at the controls, attempted to bring the airplane back onto the runway. Despite applying rudder and brakes, the student was unable to regain control. The airplane then veered sharply to the left, crossed the runway, and exited the left side. The nose gear collapsed, and the airplane slid several feet before coming to rest.
Postaccident Examination
Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed that the nose wheel collar assembly had separated. A section of the failed collar showed features representative of an overstress separation on one of the attachment holes, which was still fastened to the intact half by a bolt. The other attachment hole contained only slight indications of thread imprints in the hole but showed no evidence of deformation. The shimmy dampener inside the collar also displayed damage.