Narrative:

CFI student, finished preflight. I asked if the plane was ready to fly. Response was, 'let's go.' the lesson began with chandelles. Next maneuver was lazy 8's. I flew the first one and the gear dropped out at the top of the lazy 8 due to the slow airspeed. I cycled the gear down, built up airspeed, and brought the gear back to an up position, gear normal. We went to chickasha in order to practice takeoffs and lndgs. I made a normal landing. I instructed trnee to demonstrate a short-field takeoff; he did. Gear operation normal. I instructed trnee to demonstrate a soft-field landing on the asphalt runway followed by normal takeoff, gear normal. We flew the pattern for another landing. I instructed trnee to make a short-field landing. As we approached mid-field, trnee began to slow the airplane and brought the gear down, 3 in the green, mixture full forward, propeller full forward, fuel pumps on, landing light on. I verified trnee did all prelndg checklist and procedures. Trnee set airplane down just past the numbers. Landed on main wheels then allowed the nose wheel to set down. The landing looked good. I noticed the cowling beginning to drop, I briskly yanked back on the control wheel. As this was happening I heard the propeller zing across the ground. The aircraft rose about 5-10'. Trnee went to full power. I began to lower the pitch attitude slightly in order to gain airspeed. The plane began to climb, I looked at the landing gear indicator lights, the nose wheel indicator was out, the main gear indicators were on. I cycled the gear up. Next, I released the flaps one at a time during the climb out. I began with the emergency gear extension procedures: gear down, main gear green, gear up, override engaged, gear down, main gear indicator on (green), emergency down, main gear green, master on, panel lights of, cbs in, bulb check, gear up. Called the tower and informed them of my situation, asked for chief flight instrument to be present in tower for any additional assistance or instructions. Put the aircraft in position for a right base, repeated the emergency gear extension procedures. I left the gear in down position and yawed the aircraft back and forth, no indication of nose wheel down or locked. I made 3 low passes, the tower reported the gear to appear to be down. I flew south to the river, made a series of steep bank turns to insure landing gear were down and locked on the advise of my chief flight instrument. I asked the tower if I should shut the engine down prior to T/D the reason being, if the nose gear is going to collapse and the propeller is stopped, the engine will not be damaged as severely. I turned final, began to slow the aircraft down, first flap position, short final. I pulled the mixture back to idle cut off, the engine began to shut down. The aircraft xed the number. I leveled the aircraft off, and began to work the aircraft into a nose high attitude in order to set the aircraft down on the main wheels and hold the nose wheel off until the last moment in order to set the nose wheel down at the slowest speed possible. The results were good. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. Reporter states nose gear collapsed on final landing, propeller and nose gear damaged. Flight school has had lots of problems with the gear on this aircraft. Actually stopped using it for a period of time. This was a good landing and did not land on nose gear. Says no vibration or imbalance from initial propeller strike, chose to return and land at home field.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA TRAINING FLT HAS NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE AFTER SEVERAL LNDGS.

Narrative: CFI STUDENT, FINISHED PREFLT. I ASKED IF THE PLANE WAS READY TO FLY. RESPONSE WAS, 'LET'S GO.' THE LESSON BEGAN WITH CHANDELLES. NEXT MANEUVER WAS LAZY 8'S. I FLEW THE FIRST ONE AND THE GEAR DROPPED OUT AT THE TOP OF THE LAZY 8 DUE TO THE SLOW AIRSPD. I CYCLED THE GEAR DOWN, BUILT UP AIRSPD, AND BROUGHT THE GEAR BACK TO AN UP POS, GEAR NORMAL. WE WENT TO CHICKASHA IN ORDER TO PRACTICE TKOFS AND LNDGS. I MADE A NORMAL LNDG. I INSTRUCTED TRNEE TO DEMONSTRATE A SHORT-FIELD TKOF; HE DID. GEAR OPERATION NORMAL. I INSTRUCTED TRNEE TO DEMONSTRATE A SOFT-FIELD LNDG ON THE ASPHALT RWY FOLLOWED BY NORMAL TKOF, GEAR NORMAL. WE FLEW THE PATTERN FOR ANOTHER LNDG. I INSTRUCTED TRNEE TO MAKE A SHORT-FIELD LNDG. AS WE APCHED MID-FIELD, TRNEE BEGAN TO SLOW THE AIRPLANE AND BROUGHT THE GEAR DOWN, 3 IN THE GREEN, MIXTURE FULL FORWARD, PROP FULL FORWARD, FUEL PUMPS ON, LNDG LIGHT ON. I VERIFIED TRNEE DID ALL PRELNDG CHKLIST AND PROCS. TRNEE SET AIRPLANE DOWN JUST PAST THE NUMBERS. LANDED ON MAIN WHEELS THEN ALLOWED THE NOSE WHEEL TO SET DOWN. THE LNDG LOOKED GOOD. I NOTICED THE COWLING BEGINNING TO DROP, I BRISKLY YANKED BACK ON THE CONTROL WHEEL. AS THIS WAS HAPPENING I HEARD THE PROP ZING ACROSS THE GND. THE ACFT ROSE ABOUT 5-10'. TRNEE WENT TO FULL PWR. I BEGAN TO LOWER THE PITCH ATTITUDE SLIGHTLY IN ORDER TO GAIN AIRSPD. THE PLANE BEGAN TO CLB, I LOOKED AT THE LNDG GEAR INDICATOR LIGHTS, THE NOSE WHEEL INDICATOR WAS OUT, THE MAIN GEAR INDICATORS WERE ON. I CYCLED THE GEAR UP. NEXT, I RELEASED THE FLAPS ONE AT A TIME DURING THE CLB OUT. I BEGAN WITH THE EMER GEAR EXTENSION PROCS: GEAR DOWN, MAIN GEAR GREEN, GEAR UP, OVERRIDE ENGAGED, GEAR DOWN, MAIN GEAR INDICATOR ON (GREEN), EMER DOWN, MAIN GEAR GREEN, MASTER ON, PANEL LIGHTS OF, CBS IN, BULB CHK, GEAR UP. CALLED THE TWR AND INFORMED THEM OF MY SITUATION, ASKED FOR CHIEF FLT INSTR TO BE PRESENT IN TWR FOR ANY ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE OR INSTRUCTIONS. PUT THE ACFT IN POS FOR A RIGHT BASE, REPEATED THE EMER GEAR EXTENSION PROCS. I LEFT THE GEAR IN DOWN POS AND YAWED THE ACFT BACK AND FORTH, NO INDICATION OF NOSE WHEEL DOWN OR LOCKED. I MADE 3 LOW PASSES, THE TWR RPTED THE GEAR TO APPEAR TO BE DOWN. I FLEW S TO THE RIVER, MADE A SERIES OF STEEP BANK TURNS TO INSURE LNDG GEAR WERE DOWN AND LOCKED ON THE ADVISE OF MY CHIEF FLT INSTR. I ASKED THE TWR IF I SHOULD SHUT THE ENG DOWN PRIOR TO T/D THE REASON BEING, IF THE NOSE GEAR IS GOING TO COLLAPSE AND THE PROP IS STOPPED, THE ENG WILL NOT BE DAMAGED AS SEVERELY. I TURNED FINAL, BEGAN TO SLOW THE ACFT DOWN, FIRST FLAP POS, SHORT FINAL. I PULLED THE MIXTURE BACK TO IDLE CUT OFF, THE ENG BEGAN TO SHUT DOWN. THE ACFT XED THE NUMBER. I LEVELED THE ACFT OFF, AND BEGAN TO WORK THE ACFT INTO A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE IN ORDER TO SET THE ACFT DOWN ON THE MAIN WHEELS AND HOLD THE NOSE WHEEL OFF UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT IN ORDER TO SET THE NOSE WHEEL DOWN AT THE SLOWEST SPD POSSIBLE. THE RESULTS WERE GOOD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR STATES NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED ON FINAL LNDG, PROP AND NOSE GEAR DAMAGED. FLT SCHOOL HAS HAD LOTS OF PROBS WITH THE GEAR ON THIS ACFT. ACTUALLY STOPPED USING IT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. THIS WAS A GOOD LNDG AND DID NOT LAND ON NOSE GEAR. SAYS NO VIBRATION OR IMBALANCE FROM INITIAL PROP STRIKE, CHOSE TO RETURN AND LAND AT HOME FIELD.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.