Narrative:

On landing at sun valley airport (sun), located in hailey, identification, aluminum fork attachment to nosewheel of 19XX small aircraft model twin, broke, causing nosewheel to fall off and aircraft to land on nosewheel strut. Propellers and nosewheel mechanism damaged by contact with runway, but no other damage to airframe structure. Pilot was flying alone with no baggage, and aircraft was well under gross weight. Landing was with tailwind of approximately 8 KTS, but this is common at sun where lndgs are usually made from the south on runway 31. Sun is pilot's home airport, and pilot has made numerous lndgs there under worse conditions. This was a borrowed aircraft that pilot had frequently flown. Operation of nose gear was normal on taxi and takeoff at redmond, or (rdm) for this flight, and on approach at sun. No blowout or impact trauma found on separated nosewheel and tire. Pilot learned after the incident that nose tire had been replaced 30-60 days earlier after blowout during hard nosewheel landing. Therefore, pilot suspects preexisting metal fatigue and/or undetected crack in nosewheel fork. Nosewheel fork will be analyzed to verify this. No injuries involved. When it became obvious to pilot on touchdown that nose gear had failed, engines were immediately shut down, and all electrical and fuel switches were turned off. Aircraft skidded to a stop on the runway, riding on its wheel-less nosewheel strut. This caused sparks but no fire.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA TWIN SUFFERS ACFT DAMAGE WHEN NOSE GEAR COLLAPSES DURING LNDG PROC ROLLOUT.

Narrative: ON LNDG AT SUN VALLEY ARPT (SUN), LOCATED IN HAILEY, ID, ALUMINUM FORK ATTACHMENT TO NOSEWHEEL OF 19XX SMA MODEL TWIN, BROKE, CAUSING NOSEWHEEL TO FALL OFF AND ACFT TO LAND ON NOSEWHEEL STRUT. PROPS AND NOSEWHEEL MECHANISM DAMAGED BY CONTACT WITH RWY, BUT NO OTHER DAMAGE TO AIRFRAME STRUCTURE. PLT WAS FLYING ALONE WITH NO BAGGAGE, AND ACFT WAS WELL UNDER GROSS WT. LNDG WAS WITH TAILWIND OF APPROX 8 KTS, BUT THIS IS COMMON AT SUN WHERE LNDGS ARE USUALLY MADE FROM THE S ON RWY 31. SUN IS PLT'S HOME ARPT, AND PLT HAS MADE NUMEROUS LNDGS THERE UNDER WORSE CONDITIONS. THIS WAS A BORROWED ACFT THAT PLT HAD FREQUENTLY FLOWN. OP OF NOSE GEAR WAS NORMAL ON TAXI AND TKOF AT REDMOND, OR (RDM) FOR THIS FLT, AND ON APCH AT SUN. NO BLOWOUT OR IMPACT TRAUMA FOUND ON SEPARATED NOSEWHEEL AND TIRE. PLT LEARNED AFTER THE INCIDENT THAT NOSE TIRE HAD BEEN REPLACED 30-60 DAYS EARLIER AFTER BLOWOUT DURING HARD NOSEWHEEL LNDG. THEREFORE, PLT SUSPECTS PREEXISTING METAL FATIGUE AND/OR UNDETECTED CRACK IN NOSEWHEEL FORK. NOSEWHEEL FORK WILL BE ANALYZED TO VERIFY THIS. NO INJURIES INVOLVED. WHEN IT BECAME OBVIOUS TO PLT ON TOUCHDOWN THAT NOSE GEAR HAD FAILED, ENGS WERE IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN, AND ALL ELECTRICAL AND FUEL SWITCHES WERE TURNED OFF. ACFT SKIDDED TO A STOP ON THE RWY, RIDING ON ITS WHEEL-LESS NOSEWHEEL STRUT. THIS CAUSED SPARKS BUT NO FIRE.

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.