Incident Summary
During taxi after landing, the nose wheel of the airplane collapsed, causing substantial damage. The pilot reported that the landing gear indicator showed a green light for all three gear down and locked. The pilot stated the landing was normal and not excessively hard.
Inspection Findings
A Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Safety Inspector examined the airplane and determined that the nose gear collapsed due to sheared rivets that attach the bracket assembly for the nose gear hydraulic actuator. Smearing on the rivet shanks indicated loading directionality from aft to forward, which is the direction of normal retraction for the nose gear. No other damage consistent with a hard landing, such as damage to the firewall or other airframe structures, was observed.
Inspector's Assessment
The inspector opined that the evidence was not conclusive that the sheared rivets occurred during the accident landing. The damage may have resulted from prior ground handling operations, such as towing.