C172RG SUFFERS NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE ON LNDG AT HEF.

Narrative

ON FEB/THU/04; I WENT TO FBO AT ZZZ TO PERFORM A CLOSED PATTERN NIGHT PROFICIENCY FLT. I WAS CLRED FOR TKOF AND MADE A NORMAL LAUNCH INTO THE L TFC PATTERN FOR RWY 34L. I LEFT THE LNDG GEAR IN THE DOWN POS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FLT. I MADE 4 UNEVENTFUL TKOFS AND FULL-STOP LNDGS BEFORE THE LNDG IN QUESTION. ON THE LNDG IN QUESTION; I WAS ONCE AGAIN CLRED FOR A FULL STOP BY THE TWR. I FLEW A STANDARD L-HAND PATTERN AND TURNED ONTO FINAL APPROX 3/4 OF A MI FROM THE RWY THRESHOLD. I WAS ON CTRLINE; ESTABLISHED MYSELF ON THE VASI GS; AND COMPLETED MY LNDG CHKLIST. I WAS IN A STABILIZED APCH AT 70 KTS (+/- 2 KTS) WITH FULL FLAPS. THERE APPEARED TO BE A SLIGHT R TO L XWIND. ON SHORT FINAL; I REMAINED ON GLIDE PATH; STABILIZED VERY SLIGHTLY L OF CTRLINE AT A SPD OF 65 KTS. AS I APCHED THE SURFACE OF THE RWY; I BEGAN A NORMAL FLARE WITH A SLIGHT XWIND CORRECTION AND TOUCHED DOWN ON THE CTRLINE WITH THE MAIN LNDG GEAR. I EXPERIENCED A BOUNCE; AND THEREAFTER MAINTAINED MY LNDG PITCH ATTITUDE AND MY ALIGNMENT WITH THE RWY CTRLINE. THE ACFT SETTLED DOWN ON THE MAIN GEAR A SECOND TIME AND AS I LOWERED THE NOSE; IT FELL THROUGH THE HORIZ WITH THE PROP STRIKING THE RWY. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO A STOP SHORTLY THEREAFTER ON CTRLINE. I SECURED THE FUEL AND ELECTRICAL AND EXITED THE ACFT. I NOTIFIED TWR ON MY HANDHELD THAT I WAS DISABLED ON THE RWY WITH WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A COLLAPSED NOSE GEAR.