GA SMA LANDED NOSE GEAR FIRST CAUSING NOSE GEAR TO COLLAPSE AND DAMAGING THE PROPELLER.

Date: 1988-04 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 1 Eng; Retractable Gear

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-cftt-cfit|other-unspecified

Synopsis

GA SMA LANDED NOSE GEAR FIRST CAUSING NOSE GEAR TO COLLAPSE AND DAMAGING THE PROPELLER.

Narrative

IN 4/88 I TOOK OFF FROM TORRANCE; CA; ARPT FLYING AT 9500' AND 11500'. I WAS COMPLETING MY FLT 5 HRS LATER AT COS. IT WAS A CLEAR DAY. WIND WAS NOT A PROB. I CALLED APCH CTL 20 MI S. I HAD THE ATIS AND WAS LNDG RWY 35. I SQUAWKED THE PROPER CODE; IDENT AND WAS ACKNOWLEDGED. APCH GAVE ME AN 070 DEG HDG FOR SPACING AND I REDUCED AIR SPD. LATER I WAS GIVEN 360 DEG HDG AND THEN 250 DEG HDG. APCH CTL STATED; 'ACFT AT YOUR 11 O'CLOCK POS. LNDG COS.' I WAS FACING A BRIGHT; BRIGHT SETTING SUN AND ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I DID NOT HAVE MY TFC. I WAS NEXT TOLD 'TFC NO FACTOR; DO YOU HAVE ARPT IN SIGHT?' I ACKNOWLEDGED 'ARPT IN SIGHT;' AND WAS 'CLRED TO LAND; CONTACT TWR.' I DUMPED MY GEAR TURNED TO THE ARPT; CONTACTED TWR AND WAS CLRED. I WAS STILL AT 9500' SINCE I DID HAVE MY PREVIOUS TFC IN SIGHT. I REDUCED ALL PWR AND WENT THROUGH GUMP. AS I INCREASED SPD I DROPPED FULL FLAPS. I KNEW I HAD AN 11000' RWY BUT WANTED THE T/D AT THE FIRST THIRD. AS I CLOSED WITH THE GND AND RWY I TRIMMED MY ACFT BACK. HOWEVER ON PLACING MY ACFT ON RWY 35 I HIT THE NOSE WHEEL FIRST; PORPOISED; AND ON RETURNING TO THE RWY SURFACE MY NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSED. I WENT FORWARD; APPLIED RIGHT BRAKE HOPING TO CLR THE RWY. I ENDED UP IN THE DIRT. WHEN 'CLRED TO LAND;' I PERCEIVED I COULD LAND THE ACFT SAFELY. THE FACT IS I DID NOT--THERE WERE NO INJURIES. MY PERCEPTION OF THE GND FROM 9500 AND 11500' FOR 5 HRS BECAME VERY MUCH DIFFERENT AS I CLOSED WITH THE GND. THE BRIGHT SUN IN MY EYES FOR ABOUT 5 MINS ALSO CHANGED MY PERCEPTION.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.