What happened
During the landing flare, the pilot reported hearing a loud bang as the nose wheel made contact with the runway. Following this impact, the nose of the aircraft bounced back into the air, causing the tail of the airplane to strike the runway surface. The nose subsequently settled back onto the ground, and the aircraft came to a complete stop.
The investigation
An inspection conducted by an FAA inspector revealed that the nose wheel fork had broken into two separate parts and the empennage was buckled. The nose landing gear wheel fork was submitted to the National Transportation Safety Board's Materials Laboratory for detailed examination. The laboratory analysis identified fracture features on slant planes with a matte gray appearance, which is consistent with an overstress fracture. No evidence of preexisting damage was found during the inspection, and the deformation observed on both legs of the fork was consistent with side loading.