A PIPER PA28 WAS FLOWN AND OPERATED FOR SEVERAL FLTS IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH A DAMAGED NOSE GEAR; CAUSED BY A NOSE FIRST LNDG.

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MY PRIMARY STUDENT AND I WERE GOING TO UNDERTAKE A LCL TRAINING FLT IN PREPARATION FOR HIS UPCOMING CHK RIDE. A SOLO STUDENT PLT HAD FLOWN THE AIRPLANE BEFORE WE DID. I WAS RUNNING BEHIND; SO MY STUDENT PREFLTED THE ACFT AND FOUND NO PROBS. I MET WITH MY STUDENT AND PERFORMED A QUICK WALKAROUND PRIOR TO BOARDING THE PLANE. THE PLANE APPEARED SOMEWHAT POINTED DOWN TOWARD THE GND; BUT I DISMISSED IT AS A COMBINATION OF MAIN STRUT OVER-INFLATION AND NOSE STRUT UNDER-INFLATION; WHICH IS HOW IT APPEARED. DURING TAXI; IT WAS DIFFICULT TO STEER THE AIRPLANE WITH THE RUDDER PEDALS. HOWEVER; HANDLING WAS OTHERWISE FINE. WE DID LCL AIRWORK AND RETURNED FOR ONE LNDG; AGAIN NOTING NO CTL PROBS. UPON TAXIING IN; MY STUDENT COMMENTED ON THE LACK OF NOSEWHEEL STEERING AUTH. I COMPLETED A POSTFLT WALKAROUND INSPECTION; PAYING CLOSE ATTN TO THE NOSE STRUT AND ASSEMBLY; BUT AGAIN NOTED NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY THAT WOULD CAUSE THE PROB; OTHER THAN A SLIGHTLY UNDER-INFLATED NOSEWHEEL. I DIDN'T FEEL IT WAS NECESSARY TO TAKE THE AIRPLANE OTS FOR INSPECTION; AS THE PROB WAS SIMILAR TO SIMPLY POORLY LUBRICATED STEERING ASSEMBLIES AND A LOW FRONT TIRE. THE CREW AFTER US WROTE UP AN UNRELATED DISCREPANCY; AND AFTER INSPECTING THE AIRPLANE; MAINT DETERMINED THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD AT SOME POINT EXPERIENCED A NOSE-FIRST LNDG THAT SUBSEQUENTLY BENT THE NOSE STRUT AFT AND DEPRESSED IT UPWARD INTO THE COWLING. I INSPECTED THE ACFT AFTER THIS WAS FOUND; AND IT WAS STILL DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN WHAT; IF ANY; DAMAGE HAD OCCURRED; ALTHOUGH THE NOSE STRUT WAS AT A SLIGHTLY AWKWARD ANGLE WHERE IT JOINED THE COWLING.