Incident Description
The pilot reported that when the landing gear was extended on final approach, a green gear-down light illuminated. During the landing rollout, the nose landing gear collapsed.
Examination
Federal Aviation Administration inspectors examined the airplane after the incident and found that the nose landing gear torque link had failed, causing the collapse. The National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory performed a metallurgical examination of the nose landing gear drag brace. The examination showed that the drag brace had fractured in the tubing at a point just forward of the right attach point. The fracture faces displayed surfaces inclined at approximately 45 degrees to the axis of the separated portion of the tubing, consistent with an overload event.
Maintenance History
The incident airplane was manufactured in January 1973. A representative from Hawker-Beechcraft stated that beginning with model year 1978, an improved nose landing gear drag brace was incorporated into new production airplanes. Beech also issued service kit 35-4012-1 S, which allowed for the upgrade of earlier model E-55 airplanes with the improved drag brace. The representative noted that pictures of the failed drag brace from the accident airplane showed it was not the improved version. Maintenance personnel for the airplane owner stated that a review of the airplane's logbook records showed no evidence that the drag brace had been changed during the life of the airplane and that the failed drag brace appeared to be the original unit supplied from the factory.