Narrative:

I departed west palm beach, fl, in an aztec. Both the takeoff and gear retraction was normal. 1 hour later at XA15Z while on a 3 mi final at marsh harbor international airport, I lowered the landing gear for landing. Gear extension was normal with 3 green lights indicating that the landing gear was down and locked, and gear handle in neutral position. As habit dictated, I visually checked the nose gear mirror located on the inboard side of the left engine cowling. The nose gear was down and locked but the wheel itself appeared to be perpendicular to the nose of the aircraft. This was confirmed by another aircraft flying nearby. Over the next 45 mins, several diving and side-sliding maneuvers were tried in an effort to straighten the nosewheel without success. Touchdown was normal and immediately I was able to straighten the nosewheel. Since the nosewheel had in fact become a coaster, I was concerned about nosewheel shimmy, so I reached over and brought the mixtures back to idle cut-off for fear that if the nose gear should fail, I would be able to save the propellers and engines from damage. Well, shimmy it did -- and violently, and I knew then that nose gear failure was inevitable. The nose gear finally collapsed, and the aircraft fell on its nose, slid down the runway for about 300 ft and came to rest on the left shoulder of runway 27, causing damage to both propellers, that were still windmilling. Immediately after the aircraft stopped I exited the aircraft through the main cabin door. If we allow it, fear and panic can cloud our thinking and performance abilities. We must clearly define the situation and take positive and decisive action to resolve it. If we remain calm we stand a much better change of surviving any catastrophe. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states the FAA considers this an incident because they know where the responsibility lies. This was strictly a maintenance problem. Some work had been done on the gear and someone failed to put things back together properly. Reporter could not believe the sight of the nosewheel being exactly perpendicula right to what it should have been and had another pilot check it out before making his decision to land.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28-250 AZTEC HAS NOSEWHEEL AT R ANGLE TO THE NORMAL DIRECTION WHEN EXTENDED FOR LNDG. UNABLE TO CORRECT, THE PLT LANDS AND NOSEWHEEL COLLAPSES.

Narrative: I DEPARTED WEST PALM BEACH, FL, IN AN AZTEC. BOTH THE TKOF AND GEAR RETRACTION WAS NORMAL. 1 HR LATER AT XA15Z WHILE ON A 3 MI FINAL AT MARSH HARBOR INTL ARPT, I LOWERED THE LNDG GEAR FOR LNDG. GEAR EXTENSION WAS NORMAL WITH 3 GREEN LIGHTS INDICATING THAT THE LNDG GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED, AND GEAR HANDLE IN NEUTRAL POS. AS HABIT DICTATED, I VISUALLY CHKED THE NOSE GEAR MIRROR LOCATED ON THE INBOARD SIDE OF THE L ENG COWLING. THE NOSE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED BUT THE WHEEL ITSELF APPEARED TO BE PERPENDICULAR TO THE NOSE OF THE ACFT. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY ANOTHER ACFT FLYING NEARBY. OVER THE NEXT 45 MINS, SEVERAL DIVING AND SIDE-SLIDING MANEUVERS WERE TRIED IN AN EFFORT TO STRAIGHTEN THE NOSEWHEEL WITHOUT SUCCESS. TOUCHDOWN WAS NORMAL AND IMMEDIATELY I WAS ABLE TO STRAIGHTEN THE NOSEWHEEL. SINCE THE NOSEWHEEL HAD IN FACT BECOME A COASTER, I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT NOSEWHEEL SHIMMY, SO I REACHED OVER AND BROUGHT THE MIXTURES BACK TO IDLE CUT-OFF FOR FEAR THAT IF THE NOSE GEAR SHOULD FAIL, I WOULD BE ABLE TO SAVE THE PROPS AND ENGS FROM DAMAGE. WELL, SHIMMY IT DID -- AND VIOLENTLY, AND I KNEW THEN THAT NOSE GEAR FAILURE WAS INEVITABLE. THE NOSE GEAR FINALLY COLLAPSED, AND THE ACFT FELL ON ITS NOSE, SLID DOWN THE RWY FOR ABOUT 300 FT AND CAME TO REST ON THE L SHOULDER OF RWY 27, CAUSING DAMAGE TO BOTH PROPS, THAT WERE STILL WINDMILLING. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ACFT STOPPED I EXITED THE ACFT THROUGH THE MAIN CABIN DOOR. IF WE ALLOW IT, FEAR AND PANIC CAN CLOUD OUR THINKING AND PERFORMANCE ABILITIES. WE MUST CLRLY DEFINE THE SIT AND TAKE POSITIVE AND DECISIVE ACTION TO RESOLVE IT. IF WE REMAIN CALM WE STAND A MUCH BETTER CHANGE OF SURVIVING ANY CATASTROPHE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THE FAA CONSIDERS THIS AN INCIDENT BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHERE THE RESPONSIBILITY LIES. THIS WAS STRICTLY A MAINT PROB. SOME WORK HAD BEEN DONE ON THE GEAR AND SOMEONE FAILED TO PUT THINGS BACK TOGETHER PROPERLY. RPTR COULD NOT BELIEVE THE SIGHT OF THE NOSEWHEEL BEING EXACTLY PERPENDICULA R TO WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AND HAD ANOTHER PLT CHK IT OUT BEFORE MAKING HIS DECISION TO LAND.

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.