Narrative:

The event was a nose gear failure at savannah airport as a result of a landing attempt at hilton head island (49J). I've flown into hilton head 5 times before without incident not to mention sight-seeing trips departing and landing on the island. This was the first time we had ever flown in the weekend of the golf tournament, which meant more traffic and a temporary tower. Being based at bowman field in louisville, ky, which is one of the busier GA airports in the country, I didn't consider the presence of the tower, or the increased traffic as any problem. What did become a problem was the altitude and heading I was flying while being vectored around other traffic. When I was turned inbound I was high (over 2000 ft with the airport elevation 20 ft), and was given a straight in heading that called for approximately a 120 degree turn to final for runway 21. I knew that I was high and fast and that there was other traffic inbound. I requested, from the temporary tower, and received permission to do a 360 over the waterway in order to lose altitude. This was performed fine although I still had a lot of airspeed as I found myself on short final. I went through gumps noting that I was still beyond vfe. As I slowed the plane down, the air was bumpy and I was fighting to hold a straight line and proper rate of descent. I then found myself near the threshold, fast with no flaps. I put in 1 notch and we continued to overfly the runway. The runway is relatively long so I put in another notch to help the plane settle down. Shortly after that we hit the runway hard on the mains. I increased throttle just slightly as we bounced back into the air. I eased the throttle back as the plane floated in ground effect briefly, then slammed into the runway again. I was surprised when the plane again began floating in ground effect. I knew there were trees at the end of this runway and we were more than half way down it, so I put in full throttle and proceeded to go around. The plane touched the ground a third time, more softly at this point, and proceeded to gain altitude. As we flew the pattern the tower said they thought there might be a nose gear problem and asked that I fly over the runway. I did so and they confirmed that there appeared to be some nose gear damage and asked me what I wanted to do. After talking to someone on unicom, I felt that primarily due to the lack of adequate repair facilities at 49J, the best bet was to proceed to savannah, and the tower provided a heading. At savannah, a fly-by the tower also brought forth the response of some possible nose gear problem. I was uncertain as to how serious the problem was until I heard it in this controllers voice. At that point I flew an extended downwind for runway 18, advised my passengers (wife, in-laws and 2 yr old son) of the situation, advised them to buckle in tight, then exit the plane quickly on full stop, and I began running through my emergency procedures. By the time the plane touched down, everything on board had been shut down. I performed a soft field landing approach and by the time the nose gear collapsed and the propeller struck the runway, we had very little speed. We skid to a stop without leaving the runway. Everyone evacuated the plane without so much as a bruise. I believe the incident occurred due to a hasty straight-in approach, combined with my low time in this plane over the last 90 days. I had been up for 2.5 hours in this plane, with an instructor, just 5 days prior to this flight, and everything went fine. With a lot of people flying into a resort area on a friday, especially an island in the heat of the day, it seems like ATC might try to make things somewhat less difficult, since the WX conditions even on a nice day down there can make lndgs tricky. I'm not blaming anybody. It was the result of a less than ideal approach, bya pilot with only 6/1 hours in the last 90 days. Ultimately, I as the pilot know that it's my responsibility to determine whether or not to land under a particular set of circumstances, and I'll take that responsibility even more seriously in the future. I'm grateful to the controllers and the safety people at savannah fortheir efforts and I'm especially thankful that no one on-board or on the ground was hurt. I'm also thankful to my instructor for the emergency procedure training that we had just been through in dec/jan as part of my training towards a commercial rating.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA MAKES A HARD LNDG AT DEST ARPT, DAMAGES NOSE GEAR AND DIVERTS TO ALTERNATE ARPT FOR EMER LNDG. NOSE GEAR COLLAPSES, PROP STRIKE, ACFT DAMAGED.

Narrative: THE EVENT WAS A NOSE GEAR FAILURE AT SAVANNAH ARPT AS A RESULT OF A LNDG ATTEMPT AT HILTON HEAD ISLAND (49J). I'VE FLOWN INTO HILTON HEAD 5 TIMES BEFORE WITHOUT INCIDENT NOT TO MENTION SIGHT-SEEING TRIPS DEPARTING AND LNDG ON THE ISLAND. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME WE HAD EVER FLOWN IN THE WEEKEND OF THE GOLF TOURNAMENT, WHICH MEANT MORE TFC AND A TEMPORARY TWR. BEING BASED AT BOWMAN FIELD IN LOUISVILLE, KY, WHICH IS ONE OF THE BUSIER GA ARPTS IN THE COUNTRY, I DIDN'T CONSIDER THE PRESENCE OF THE TWR, OR THE INCREASED TFC AS ANY PROBLEM. WHAT DID BECOME A PROBLEM WAS THE ALT AND HDG I WAS FLYING WHILE BEING VECTORED AROUND OTHER TFC. WHEN I WAS TURNED INBOUND I WAS HIGH (OVER 2000 FT WITH THE ARPT ELEVATION 20 FT), AND WAS GIVEN A STRAIGHT IN HDG THAT CALLED FOR APPROX A 120 DEG TURN TO FINAL FOR RWY 21. I KNEW THAT I WAS HIGH AND FAST AND THAT THERE WAS OTHER TFC INBOUND. I REQUESTED, FROM THE TEMPORARY TWR, AND RECEIVED PERMISSION TO DO A 360 OVER THE WATERWAY IN ORDER TO LOSE ALT. THIS WAS PERFORMED FINE ALTHOUGH I STILL HAD A LOT OF AIRSPD AS I FOUND MYSELF ON SHORT FINAL. I WENT THROUGH GUMPS NOTING THAT I WAS STILL BEYOND VFE. AS I SLOWED THE PLANE DOWN, THE AIR WAS BUMPY AND I WAS FIGHTING TO HOLD A STRAIGHT LINE AND PROPER RATE OF DSCNT. I THEN FOUND MYSELF NEAR THE THRESHOLD, FAST WITH NO FLAPS. I PUT IN 1 NOTCH AND WE CONTINUED TO OVERFLY THE RWY. THE RWY IS RELATIVELY LONG SO I PUT IN ANOTHER NOTCH TO HELP THE PLANE SETTLE DOWN. SHORTLY AFTER THAT WE HIT THE RWY HARD ON THE MAINS. I INCREASED THROTTLE JUST SLIGHTLY AS WE BOUNCED BACK INTO THE AIR. I EASED THE THROTTLE BACK AS THE PLANE FLOATED IN GND EFFECT BRIEFLY, THEN SLAMMED INTO THE RWY AGAIN. I WAS SURPRISED WHEN THE PLANE AGAIN BEGAN FLOATING IN GND EFFECT. I KNEW THERE WERE TREES AT THE END OF THIS RWY AND WE WERE MORE THAN HALF WAY DOWN IT, SO I PUT IN FULL THROTTLE AND PROCEEDED TO GAR. THE PLANE TOUCHED THE GND A THIRD TIME, MORE SOFTLY AT THIS POINT, AND PROCEEDED TO GAIN ALT. AS WE FLEW THE PATTERN THE TWR SAID THEY THOUGHT THERE MIGHT BE A NOSE GEAR PROBLEM AND ASKED THAT I FLY OVER THE RWY. I DID SO AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT THERE APPEARED TO BE SOME NOSE GEAR DAMAGE AND ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED TO DO. AFTER TALKING TO SOMEONE ON UNICOM, I FELT THAT PRIMARILY DUE TO THE LACK OF ADEQUATE REPAIR FACILITIES AT 49J, THE BEST BET WAS TO PROCEED TO SAVANNAH, AND THE TWR PROVIDED A HDG. AT SAVANNAH, A FLY-BY THE TWR ALSO BROUGHT FORTH THE RESPONSE OF SOME POSSIBLE NOSE GEAR PROBLEM. I WAS UNCERTAIN AS TO HOW SERIOUS THE PROBLEM WAS UNTIL I HEARD IT IN THIS CTLRS VOICE. AT THAT POINT I FLEW AN EXTENDED DOWNWIND FOR RWY 18, ADVISED MY PAXS (WIFE, IN-LAWS AND 2 YR OLD SON) OF THE SITUATION, ADVISED THEM TO BUCKLE IN TIGHT, THEN EXIT THE PLANE QUICKLY ON FULL STOP, AND I BEGAN RUNNING THROUGH MY EMER PROCS. BY THE TIME THE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN, EVERYTHING ON BOARD HAD BEEN SHUT DOWN. I PERFORMED A SOFT FIELD LNDG APCH AND BY THE TIME THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE PROP STRUCK THE RWY, WE HAD VERY LITTLE SPD. WE SKID TO A STOP WITHOUT LEAVING THE RWY. EVERYONE EVACUATED THE PLANE WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A BRUISE. I BELIEVE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED DUE TO A HASTY STRAIGHT-IN APCH, COMBINED WITH MY LOW TIME IN THIS PLANE OVER THE LAST 90 DAYS. I HAD BEEN UP FOR 2.5 HRS IN THIS PLANE, WITH AN INSTRUCTOR, JUST 5 DAYS PRIOR TO THIS FLT, AND EVERYTHING WENT FINE. WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE FLYING INTO A RESORT AREA ON A FRIDAY, ESPECIALLY AN ISLAND IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY, IT SEEMS LIKE ATC MIGHT TRY TO MAKE THINGS SOMEWHAT LESS DIFFICULT, SINCE THE WX CONDITIONS EVEN ON A NICE DAY DOWN THERE CAN MAKE LNDGS TRICKY. I'M NOT BLAMING ANYBODY. IT WAS THE RESULT OF A LESS THAN IDEAL APCH, BYA PLT WITH ONLY 6/1 HRS IN THE LAST 90 DAYS. ULTIMATELY, I AS THE PLT KNOW THAT IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT TO LAND UNDER A PARTICULAR SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES, AND I'LL TAKE THAT RESPONSIBILITY EVEN MORE SERIOUSLY IN THE FUTURE. I'M GRATEFUL TO THE CTLRS AND THE SAFETY PEOPLE AT SAVANNAH FORTHEIR EFFORTS AND I'M ESPECIALLY THANKFUL THAT NO ONE ON-BOARD OR ON THE GND WAS HURT. I'M ALSO THANKFUL TO MY INSTRUCTOR FOR THE EMER PROC TRAINING THAT WE HAD JUST BEEN THROUGH IN DEC/JAN AS PART OF MY TRAINING TOWARDS A COMMERCIAL RATING.

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.