What happened
The pilot performed a normal straight-in approach, crossing the runway threshold at approximately 80 to 90 knots. Immediately prior to touchdown, the aircraft ballooned and made contact with the runway harder than normal. Following this impact, the nose landing gear collapsed, causing the airplane to skid to a stop approximately 1,300 feet down the runway. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation
Investigators sent the nose landing gear down-lock and an exemplar down-lock to the NTSB materials laboratory for analysis. The examination of the down-lock revealed a fracture intersecting the hook portion. Microscopic inspection identified a river pattern originating from the inner bend area of the hook. While the fracture face exhibited features consistent with overstress separation, there was no evidence of fatigue cracking, mechanical damage, or corrosion at the origin. However, investigators did note contact wear within the throat of the hook.