A BEECH 58TC WITH 3 GREEN LIGHTS LANDED WITH THE NOSE GEAR RETRACTED. CAUSED BY A BROKEN 'V' BRACE. BREAK OCCURRED BELOW GEAR POS SENSOR.

Narrative

I LOWERED THE LNDG GEAR AT 130 KTS WHILE ON DOWNWIND TO RWY 24 AT ZZZ. THE SOUND MADE WHEN THE GEAR LOWERED WAS MORE OF A POP THAN THE USUAL CLUNK. THE SOUND WAS NOT OUT OF THE ORDINARY ENOUGH TO RAISE A RED FLAG THOUGH AND I HAD 3 GREEN LIGHTS. I CONTINUED THE APCH TO WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY NORMAL LNDG ONLY TO FIND THERE WAS NO NOSE GEAR. THE ACFT SKIDDED ON THE NOSE FOR 1000-1500 FT. I ONLY LIGHTLY APPLIED R AND L BRAKING FOR DIRECTIONAL CTL. I FELT HVY BRAKING COULD AGGRAVATE AN ALREADY BAD SIT. UPON INSPECTION OF THE ACFT WE FOUND THE NOSE GEAR V-BRACE WAS BROKEN IN HALF JUST BELOW THE PIVOT POINT ON THE R SIDE. THE TUBE COMING FROM THE GEARBOX CONNECTS TO THE V-BRACE 6 INCHES ABOVE WHERE THE V-BRACE BROKE. THIS ALLOWED JUST THE UPPER R PORTION OF THE V-BRACE TO PIVOT IN TURN CLOSING THE LIMIT SWITCH FOR THE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED LIGHT. THE BRACE BROKE THROUGH A FACTORY DRILLED HOLE USED TO ADD A RUST INHIBITOR INSIDE THE TUBE. THE WALL OF THE BROKEN TUBE WAS RUSTED 3/4 OF THE WAY AROUND INDICATING THE TUBE HAD BEEN CRACKED FOR A LONG TIME. I FEEL THIS IS AN AREA ON ALL THE OLDER BARONS AND BONANZA THAT SHOULD HAVE A CLOSER THAN NORMAL INSPECTION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED WHEN THE LNDG GEAR WAS SELECTED TO DOWN HEARD A DIFFERENT SOUND BUT WAS NOT ALARMED. THE RPTR SAID THE 'V' BRACE FAILED JUST BELOW THE LNDG GEAR OPS SENSOR SO THE NOSE GEAR INDICATION WAS GREEN. THE RPTR BELIEVES ALL OLDER BARONS AND BONANZA ACFT SHOULD HAVE AN INTENSIFIED INSPECTION OF THIS HOLLOW 'V' BRACE.