Accident Details
The pilot made a hard landing that collapsed the nose gear and damaged the firewall. The pilot had taken off and turned to downwind for landing. He reported flying an uneventful and normal approach. He stated that he touched down on the main landing gear, but the nose gear folded under the airplane as it touched down.
Runway Evidence
An examination of the runway by the Federal Aviation Administration accident coordinator revealed a skid mark on the runway at the touchdown point. Gouges were observed on the runway surface, along with chunks of displaced runway material.
Nose Gear Damage
The nose wheel deformed and buckled inboard along one quadrant. The nose gear fork fractured in several places; these fracture surfaces were irregular and rough in appearance. The fork split along its lateral axis, and the aft half of the fork also split parallel to the longitudinal axis. The aft half of the nose gear collar and a section of the aft fork fractured and separated. The fork fracture surface angled about 45 degrees to the surface and had an uneven and grainy surface.
Airframe Damage
The firewall sustained upward crush damage and was buckled. The bottom and sides of the fuselage were buckled aft of the main landing gear.