Narrative:

I decided to go to solberg/hunterdon airport (N51) where I landed, purchased fuel and plotted a course to greenwood lake airport in west milford, nj (4n1). I looked up greenwood lake airport in an airport guide and decided I would probably be landing on runway 24 since the wind was out of the southwest. After a short flight I arrived at the greenwood airport vicinity and self-announced my entry for downwind on runway 24 on the airport frequency. I performed my gump check and turned base for runway 24. On entry to base for 24, I spotted the wind sock and decided to extend my base leg to set up for final on 20, since the sock was indicating winds of 10-15 mph straight down runway 20 and there was no other traffic in the pattern. On final for 20 I trimmed the aircraft for 75 KTS, which is 12 KTS faster than preferred, since there was some turbulence from the wind and surrounding hills. Since my approach was both a little high and I still had airspeed to bleed off, after the passing the threshold I initiated a go around by applying full throttle, retracting the landing gear and retracting the flaps. While performing these tasks I failed to monitor my climb out adequately and barely cleared the hill which lies beyond runway 20. At this point stress increased. I turned crosswind and downwind, performed by gump and briefly contemplated going to another airport. I observed the surrounding terrain around the airport more closely. My final approach to runway 20 was well executed, although I probably did not check to see if I had 3 in the green. I landed within 50-100 ft of the threshold with the main gear settling to the ground. I did not hit hard, did not bounce and directional control was good. I held back pressure on the yoke as the aircraft slowed during rollout and suddenly there was a loud thud and the nose of the aircraft pitched forward. The aircraft skidded along the runway for several hundred ft on the main landing gear and the underside of the cowling. The propeller was stopped and bent. The plane slowly drifted to the right and came to rest in soft dirt and gravel. I was not hurt. I remained in the aircraft long enough to turn off the master, mags, fuel and avionics. I then exited the aircraft. Within a min there were 5 or 6 mechanics and pilots at the scene, an a and P mechanic suggested we lift the nose of the aircraft, and he was able to extend the nose gear. Damage to the aircraft was limited to the following (no damage to property): a) propeller, B) cowling beneath the nose, C) nose gear retraction flaps, D) engine exhaust pipes. I made several bad decisions that day: a) failure to slow the aircraft sufficiently on first approach, B) failure to climb out at vx on go around, C) after realizing stress level was high, not abandoning attempt to land at the airport, D) rushing through gump check, east) not receiving instruction for lndgs in airports surrounded by hilly terrain, F) not ensuring there were 3 green lights on final approach. I believe the nose gear was probably not locked.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA NOSE GEAR COLLAPSES ON LNDG.

Narrative: I DECIDED TO GO TO SOLBERG/HUNTERDON ARPT (N51) WHERE I LANDED, PURCHASED FUEL AND PLOTTED A COURSE TO GREENWOOD LAKE ARPT IN W MILFORD, NJ (4N1). I LOOKED UP GREENWOOD LAKE ARPT IN AN ARPT GUIDE AND DECIDED I WOULD PROBABLY BE LNDG ON RWY 24 SINCE THE WIND WAS OUT OF THE SW. AFTER A SHORT FLT I ARRIVED AT THE GREENWOOD ARPT VICINITY AND SELF-ANNOUNCED MY ENTRY FOR DOWNWIND ON RWY 24 ON THE ARPT FREQ. I PERFORMED MY GUMP CHK AND TURNED BASE FOR RWY 24. ON ENTRY TO BASE FOR 24, I SPOTTED THE WIND SOCK AND DECIDED TO EXTEND MY BASE LEG TO SET UP FOR FINAL ON 20, SINCE THE SOCK WAS INDICATING WINDS OF 10-15 MPH STRAIGHT DOWN RWY 20 AND THERE WAS NO OTHER TFC IN THE PATTERN. ON FINAL FOR 20 I TRIMMED THE ACFT FOR 75 KTS, WHICH IS 12 KTS FASTER THAN PREFERRED, SINCE THERE WAS SOME TURB FROM THE WIND AND SURROUNDING HILLS. SINCE MY APCH WAS BOTH A LITTLE HIGH AND I STILL HAD AIRSPD TO BLEED OFF, AFTER THE PASSING THE THRESHOLD I INITIATED A GAR BY APPLYING FULL THROTTLE, RETRACTING THE LNDG GEAR AND RETRACTING THE FLAPS. WHILE PERFORMING THESE TASKS I FAILED TO MONITOR MY CLB OUT ADEQUATELY AND BARELY CLRED THE HILL WHICH LIES BEYOND RWY 20. AT THIS POINT STRESS INCREASED. I TURNED XWIND AND DOWNWIND, PERFORMED BY GUMP AND BRIEFLY CONTEMPLATED GOING TO ANOTHER ARPT. I OBSERVED THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN AROUND THE ARPT MORE CLOSELY. MY FINAL APCH TO RWY 20 WAS WELL EXECUTED, ALTHOUGH I PROBABLY DID NOT CHK TO SEE IF I HAD 3 IN THE GREEN. I LANDED WITHIN 50-100 FT OF THE THRESHOLD WITH THE MAIN GEAR SETTLING TO THE GND. I DID NOT HIT HARD, DID NOT BOUNCE AND DIRECTIONAL CTL WAS GOOD. I HELD BACK PRESSURE ON THE YOKE AS THE ACFT SLOWED DURING ROLLOUT AND SUDDENLY THERE WAS A LOUD THUD AND THE NOSE OF THE ACFT PITCHED FORWARD. THE ACFT SKIDDED ALONG THE RWY FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED FT ON THE MAIN LNDG GEAR AND THE UNDERSIDE OF THE COWLING. THE PROP WAS STOPPED AND BENT. THE PLANE SLOWLY DRIFTED TO THE R AND CAME TO REST IN SOFT DIRT AND GRAVEL. I WAS NOT HURT. I REMAINED IN THE ACFT LONG ENOUGH TO TURN OFF THE MASTER, MAGS, FUEL AND AVIONICS. I THEN EXITED THE ACFT. WITHIN A MIN THERE WERE 5 OR 6 MECHS AND PLTS AT THE SCENE, AN A AND P MECH SUGGESTED WE LIFT THE NOSE OF THE ACFT, AND HE WAS ABLE TO EXTEND THE NOSE GEAR. DAMAGE TO THE ACFT WAS LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING (NO DAMAGE TO PROPERTY): A) PROP, B) COWLING BENEATH THE NOSE, C) NOSE GEAR RETRACTION FLAPS, D) ENG EXHAUST PIPES. I MADE SEVERAL BAD DECISIONS THAT DAY: A) FAILURE TO SLOW THE ACFT SUFFICIENTLY ON FIRST APCH, B) FAILURE TO CLB OUT AT VX ON GAR, C) AFTER REALIZING STRESS LEVEL WAS HIGH, NOT ABANDONING ATTEMPT TO LAND AT THE ARPT, D) RUSHING THROUGH GUMP CHK, E) NOT RECEIVING INSTRUCTION FOR LNDGS IN ARPTS SURROUNDED BY HILLY TERRAIN, F) NOT ENSURING THERE WERE 3 GREEN LIGHTS ON FINAL APCH. I BELIEVE THE NOSE GEAR WAS PROBABLY NOT LOCKED.

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.