Incident Overview
The aircraft completed a training flight and landed on the runway. During the landing roll, the nose gear collapsed, leading to a loss of directional control. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, struck signs, and came to rest in the grass.
Examination Findings
An FAA inspector examined the wreckage and identified damage to the bungee assembly of the down lock link assembly. This damage prevented the overcenter link from locking the gear in the down position. In a written statement, the inspector noted that the bungee assembly had failed at the rod end, which did not allow the overcenter link to lock the gear down. The inspector attributed this failure to a possible hard landing prior to this flight, which may have bent the bungee rod assembly.