Event Description
A private pilot with 172 hours of flight experience was conducting a landing in a single-engine airplane on runway 19, which measures 5,000 feet wide by 100 feet long. The pilot reported aligning the airplane for final approach and performing a slight sideslip to correct for a light prevailing crosswind. The touchdown was described as normal, with the right main landing gear making contact first, followed by the left main gear, and then the nose gear. Approximately two seconds after touchdown, the pilot heard a loud pop and the airplane began to pull to the right. As the airplane slowed, it began to shudder. After taxiing clear of the runway with full up elevator, the pilot disembarked and observed that the nose wheel pant was broken and trailing from the nose landing gear. A mechanic located on the field removed the remaining part of the wheel pant and noted no other visible damage. The pilot subsequently continued the return flight and made an uneventful landing at his home airfield.
Inspection Findings
The airplane was part of a rental fleet and had logged 15 flights totaling 41.3 hours between September 25 and October 15, 2006. Its last 100-hour inspection had been completed on September 25, 2006. During the subsequent 100-hour inspection, it was discovered that the nose wheel strut attachments had sheared and the structural engine firewall had been buckled.