What happened
The pilot reported that prior to landing, the landing gear handle was moved to the down position, at which point three green lights indicated the gear was down and locked. The touchdown on the gravel runway was described as normal. However, as the aircraft slowed down, it settled onto its nose.
The investigation
A metallurgical inspection of the nose gear assembly was performed. This examination revealed overstress fractures located on the nose gear actuator upper attachment lug, as well as overstress fractures within the supporting sheet metal structure.
Investigators found no evidence of preexisting defects in the components. Additionally, there were no reports of previous hard landings involving this aircraft. A records review showed that an inspection of the drag link assembly had been completed 45 hours before the accident, and no discrepancies related to the nose landing gear were identified during that inspection.