Narrative:

While conducting flight test program in my newly built glasair i-ft and landing at hermiston, the nose gear failed and the nose of the airplane dropped to the runway resulting in a propeller strike, separation of the nose gear from the aircraft and other damage. Prior to landing at hermiston I had landed at another nearby paved airport and on rollout had heard a pair of snapping noises and what felt like wheel shimmy. However, the airplane taxied okay so I returned to the end of the runway and took off. Apparently, the rubber biscuit assembly had separated, allowing the nose gear to drop into a near vertical position. The landing at hermiston was a normal short-field landing approach at 70-75 mph (vso is 56 or 57 mph), which is more than 1.2 vso. The main landing gear contacted the runway just past the numbers. (Winds were light and variable). The aircraft ballooned back into the air 2 to 3 ft and came back down on the main gear with a very nose-high attitude. The nose began to fall when I heard a loud bang which was the nose gear contacting the runway and breaking off. Obviously the nose continued to drop to the pavement, resulting in the aforementioned propeller strike and other damage. Examination of the failed parts showed: faulty design -- no through bolt. Faulty execution of the design -- tack-welds which were 'cold welds' (4 each) and which had been ground off almost completely. The parts had been furnished as part of the glasair i-ft kit. The landing, in my opinion, was not a particularly hard landing and there was no damage to the main landing gear.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR CITES ACFT EQUIP DESIGN PROB AS CAUSE FOR ACFT DAMAGE WHEN NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED ON RWY.

Narrative: WHILE CONDUCTING FLT TEST PROGRAM IN MY NEWLY BUILT GLASAIR I-FT AND LNDG AT HERMISTON, THE NOSE GEAR FAILED AND THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE DROPPED TO THE RWY RESULTING IN A PROP STRIKE, SEPARATION OF THE NOSE GEAR FROM THE ACFT AND OTHER DAMAGE. PRIOR TO LNDG AT HERMISTON I HAD LANDED AT ANOTHER NEARBY PAVED ARPT AND ON ROLLOUT HAD HEARD A PAIR OF SNAPPING NOISES AND WHAT FELT LIKE WHEEL SHIMMY. HOWEVER, THE AIRPLANE TAXIED OKAY SO I RETURNED TO THE END OF THE RWY AND TOOK OFF. APPARENTLY, THE RUBBER BISCUIT ASSEMBLY HAD SEPARATED, ALLOWING THE NOSE GEAR TO DROP INTO A NEAR VERT POS. THE LNDG AT HERMISTON WAS A NORMAL SHORT-FIELD LNDG APCH AT 70-75 MPH (VSO IS 56 OR 57 MPH), WHICH IS MORE THAN 1.2 VSO. THE MAIN LNDG GEAR CONTACTED THE RWY JUST PAST THE NUMBERS. (WINDS WERE LIGHT AND VARIABLE). THE ACFT BALLOONED BACK INTO THE AIR 2 TO 3 FT AND CAME BACK DOWN ON THE MAIN GEAR WITH A VERY NOSE-HIGH ATTITUDE. THE NOSE BEGAN TO FALL WHEN I HEARD A LOUD BANG WHICH WAS THE NOSE GEAR CONTACTING THE RWY AND BREAKING OFF. OBVIOUSLY THE NOSE CONTINUED TO DROP TO THE PAVEMENT, RESULTING IN THE AFOREMENTIONED PROP STRIKE AND OTHER DAMAGE. EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED PARTS SHOWED: FAULTY DESIGN -- NO THROUGH BOLT. FAULTY EXECUTION OF THE DESIGN -- TACK-WELDS WHICH WERE 'COLD WELDS' (4 EACH) AND WHICH HAD BEEN GND OFF ALMOST COMPLETELY. THE PARTS HAD BEEN FURNISHED AS PART OF THE GLASAIR I-FT KIT. THE LNDG, IN MY OPINION, WAS NOT A PARTICULARLY HARD LNDG AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE MAIN LNDG GEAR.

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.