Narrative:

I went up in an small aircraft with a student who was working on her commercial pilot's certificate and needed time in a complex aircraft. After several touch-and-goes, I took the controls for the last landing. At no point during the flight did we make a nosewheel landing nor did we make any excessively hard lndgs. I put the gear down on downwind, and checked that I had 3 green down and locked lights. I also performed a gumps check on final, again seeing that I had 3 green. I touched down main wheels first, and began to let the nose down. I saw that the nose was dropping much too far, so I added full power, retracted 1 notch of flaps, and executed a go around. It was not until this time that the gear unsafe light came on and the nose gear light went out. I notified the tower of the problem and they asked us to buzz the tower so they could see if the nose gear was down or not. We did so, and the tower shined a light on the nose gear and said it appeared to be down, but they couldn't tell if it was locked. We climbed to 2500 MSL and circled the field, and performed the emergency gear extension checklist, and recycled the gear. The gear unsafe light never went out, and I never got a green light on the nose gear. (Yes, I did change the bulbs.) we buzzed the tower twice more, and one of my fellow CFI's from our flight school came up on unicom (122.95) and said it appeared that the nose gear was fully extended. (I was monitoring tower, and talking on 122.95, they were talking with some mechanics and the owner of the plane.) the owner said to go ahead and land the plane, and since I had done everything I and the people on the ground could think of, did so. The nose gear did hold up on this landing, and we taxied back to the ramp. Upon shutdown, I saw that the propeller had hit the ground, evidently on the go around. It was determined that the receptacle for the down and locked pin failed, and that when I touched down the nose gear collapsed. That was when the propeller hit, but I did not know this until we shut the engine down after we finally got the plane down safely. I don't know why the nose gear stayed locked on the last touchdown, the nose gear light never did come on and the unsafe light remained on. I am just glad that the nose gear held the last time and that no one was hurt.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR WITH COMMERCIAL FLT STUDENT HAD NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE ON LNDG. PERFORMED ALL PROPER CHKS, LANDS.

Narrative: I WENT UP IN AN SMA WITH A STUDENT WHO WAS WORKING ON HER COMMERCIAL PLT'S CERTIFICATE AND NEEDED TIME IN A COMPLEX ACFT. AFTER SEVERAL TOUCH-AND-GOES, I TOOK THE CTLS FOR THE LAST LNDG. AT NO POINT DURING THE FLT DID WE MAKE A NOSEWHEEL LNDG NOR DID WE MAKE ANY EXCESSIVELY HARD LNDGS. I PUT THE GEAR DOWN ON DOWNWIND, AND CHKED THAT I HAD 3 GREEN DOWN AND LOCKED LIGHTS. I ALSO PERFORMED A GUMPS CHK ON FINAL, AGAIN SEEING THAT I HAD 3 GREEN. I TOUCHED DOWN MAIN WHEELS FIRST, AND BEGAN TO LET THE NOSE DOWN. I SAW THAT THE NOSE WAS DROPPING MUCH TOO FAR, SO I ADDED FULL PWR, RETRACTED 1 NOTCH OF FLAPS, AND EXECUTED A GAR. IT WAS NOT UNTIL THIS TIME THAT THE GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE NOSE GEAR LIGHT WENT OUT. I NOTIFIED THE TWR OF THE PROB AND THEY ASKED US TO BUZZ THE TWR SO THEY COULD SEE IF THE NOSE GEAR WAS DOWN OR NOT. WE DID SO, AND THE TWR SHINED A LIGHT ON THE NOSE GEAR AND SAID IT APPEARED TO BE DOWN, BUT THEY COULDN'T TELL IF IT WAS LOCKED. WE CLBED TO 2500 MSL AND CIRCLED THE FIELD, AND PERFORMED THE EMER GEAR EXTENSION CHKLIST, AND RECYCLED THE GEAR. THE GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT NEVER WENT OUT, AND I NEVER GOT A GREEN LIGHT ON THE NOSE GEAR. (YES, I DID CHANGE THE BULBS.) WE BUZZED THE TWR TWICE MORE, AND ONE OF MY FELLOW CFI'S FROM OUR FLT SCHOOL CAME UP ON UNICOM (122.95) AND SAID IT APPEARED THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS FULLY EXTENDED. (I WAS MONITORING TWR, AND TALKING ON 122.95, THEY WERE TALKING WITH SOME MECHS AND THE OWNER OF THE PLANE.) THE OWNER SAID TO GO AHEAD AND LAND THE PLANE, AND SINCE I HAD DONE EVERYTHING I AND THE PEOPLE ON THE GND COULD THINK OF, DID SO. THE NOSE GEAR DID HOLD UP ON THIS LNDG, AND WE TAXIED BACK TO THE RAMP. UPON SHUTDOWN, I SAW THAT THE PROP HAD HIT THE GND, EVIDENTLY ON THE GAR. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE RECEPTACLE FOR THE DOWN AND LOCKED PIN FAILED, AND THAT WHEN I TOUCHED DOWN THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. THAT WAS WHEN THE PROP HIT, BUT I DID NOT KNOW THIS UNTIL WE SHUT THE ENG DOWN AFTER WE FINALLY GOT THE PLANE DOWN SAFELY. I DON'T KNOW WHY THE NOSE GEAR STAYED LOCKED ON THE LAST TOUCHDOWN, THE NOSE GEAR LIGHT NEVER DID COME ON AND THE UNSAFE LIGHT REMAINED ON. I AM JUST GLAD THAT THE NOSE GEAR HELD THE LAST TIME AND THAT NO ONE WAS HURT.

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.