Incident
A commercial air taxi pilot-in-command (PIC) was undergoing a routine competency flight check conducted by an FAA inspector. The inspector instructed the PIC to perform a landing on a turf runway and to bring the aircraft to a stop short of a designated spot on the field. The pilot executed an uneventful landing but was unable to stop the airplane before reaching the designated spot.
The aircraft continued to roll along the turf runway and shortly thereafter encountered a large, unseen hole located approximately midfield. The nosewheel entered the hole, causing the nose landing gear to collapse.
Preflight Information
The PIC reported that he had received a standard weather briefing via telephone from an FAA Flight Service Station specialist just prior to the flight. During that briefing, he was not provided with any information regarding the hole on the runway.
A subsequent review of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) revealed that an active NOTAM existed for the runway the PIC landed on. The NOTAM described a 24-inch deep, 6-foot wide hole at midfield. According to the FAA Air Traffic Control procedures manual, this NOTAM should have been conveyed to the pilot during the weather briefing, but it was not.