Narrative:

On short final the aircraft was approaching the runway (2400 ft X 50 ft) appeared a little low but not out of the ordinary for the short runway. Power was kept until we had the runway made and then was brought back to idle. On touchdown the landing appeared normal. It was a firm landing and when the nose appeared to keep going down towards the ground, full elevator pressure was applied but the nose kept going down striking the asphalt followed by the propellers hitting the ground as well. At that point the mixtures were turned off. The plane skidded on the runway about 1200 ft and came to a stop. Shutdown procedures were completed and the aircraft evacuate/evacuationed. After looking at the touchdown point it appeared the nosewheel touched down 1 ft short of the runway. Probable cause was because of inexperience with the aircraft and its glide characteristics. No corrective action was taken before the impact because it appeared normal. My perception to the approach was that it was looking good a bit low but still being able to touchdown on the runway. By bringing the power to idle the plane just settled, short of the runway. After the aircraft came to a stop, we still had all 3 gear down and locked indications with the nose gear up in the wheel well compartment. FAA considers it an incident and it is still under investigation as to why the nose gear retracted upon landing. Supplemental information from acn 402875: he gets a little low on final, makes a positive power adjustment. Then as he feels he has the runway made, power is reduced. Immediately the aircraft sinks and he lands short of the runway. He should have not pulled the power until he was over the runway. As a result, as the main gear touched the turf, the nose lowered and firmly touched a lip on the runway. The nose continued to lower, the nose gear retracted back into the nose gear compartment, and the landing gear display continued to display 3 green gear light as if the gear was still extended. The FAA was informed, they ruled it an incident. The FAA wants the mer pilot to go on a check flight. However, they also want the mei to go on a check flight. The mei was not acting as instructor or PIC at the time. He should not have to go on a check flight, when the pilot flying the aircraft was proficient to act as PIC.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A PIPER SENECA II PA34-200T LANDED SHORT OF THE RWY DURING A SHORT FIELD LNDG RESULTING IN THE COLLAPSE OF THE NOSE GEAR WHEN IT STRUCK THE LIP AT THE END OF THE RWY. ACFT WAS STRANDED WHEN THE PROPS STRUCK THE RWY AND THE ACFT SLID TO A STOP.

Narrative: ON SHORT FINAL THE ACFT WAS APCHING THE RWY (2400 FT X 50 FT) APPEARED A LITTLE LOW BUT NOT OUT OF THE ORDINARY FOR THE SHORT RWY. PWR WAS KEPT UNTIL WE HAD THE RWY MADE AND THEN WAS BROUGHT BACK TO IDLE. ON TOUCHDOWN THE LNDG APPEARED NORMAL. IT WAS A FIRM LNDG AND WHEN THE NOSE APPEARED TO KEEP GOING DOWN TOWARDS THE GND, FULL ELEVATOR PRESSURE WAS APPLIED BUT THE NOSE KEPT GOING DOWN STRIKING THE ASPHALT FOLLOWED BY THE PROPS HITTING THE GND AS WELL. AT THAT POINT THE MIXTURES WERE TURNED OFF. THE PLANE SKIDDED ON THE RWY ABOUT 1200 FT AND CAME TO A STOP. SHUTDOWN PROCS WERE COMPLETED AND THE ACFT EVACED. AFTER LOOKING AT THE TOUCHDOWN POINT IT APPEARED THE NOSEWHEEL TOUCHED DOWN 1 FT SHORT OF THE RWY. PROBABLE CAUSE WAS BECAUSE OF INEXPERIENCE WITH THE ACFT AND ITS GLIDE CHARACTERISTICS. NO CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN BEFORE THE IMPACT BECAUSE IT APPEARED NORMAL. MY PERCEPTION TO THE APCH WAS THAT IT WAS LOOKING GOOD A BIT LOW BUT STILL BEING ABLE TO TOUCHDOWN ON THE RWY. BY BRINGING THE PWR TO IDLE THE PLANE JUST SETTLED, SHORT OF THE RWY. AFTER THE ACFT CAME TO A STOP, WE STILL HAD ALL 3 GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED INDICATIONS WITH THE NOSE GEAR UP IN THE WHEEL WELL COMPARTMENT. FAA CONSIDERS IT AN INCIDENT AND IT IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION AS TO WHY THE NOSE GEAR RETRACTED UPON LNDG. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 402875: HE GETS A LITTLE LOW ON FINAL, MAKES A POSITIVE PWR ADJUSTMENT. THEN AS HE FEELS HE HAS THE RWY MADE, PWR IS REDUCED. IMMEDIATELY THE ACFT SINKS AND HE LANDS SHORT OF THE RWY. HE SHOULD HAVE NOT PULLED THE PWR UNTIL HE WAS OVER THE RWY. AS A RESULT, AS THE MAIN GEAR TOUCHED THE TURF, THE NOSE LOWERED AND FIRMLY TOUCHED A LIP ON THE RWY. THE NOSE CONTINUED TO LOWER, THE NOSE GEAR RETRACTED BACK INTO THE NOSE GEAR COMPARTMENT, AND THE LNDG GEAR DISPLAY CONTINUED TO DISPLAY 3 GREEN GEAR LIGHT AS IF THE GEAR WAS STILL EXTENDED. THE FAA WAS INFORMED, THEY RULED IT AN INCIDENT. THE FAA WANTS THE MER PLT TO GO ON A CHK FLT. HOWEVER, THEY ALSO WANT THE MEI TO GO ON A CHK FLT. THE MEI WAS NOT ACTING AS INSTRUCTOR OR PIC AT THE TIME. HE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO GO ON A CHK FLT, WHEN THE PLT FLYING THE ACFT WAS PROFICIENT TO ACT AS PIC.

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.