Narrative:

IFR flight plan from ZZZ1 to ZZZ2. On visual approach and having canceled flight plan; landing gear (nose gear only) failed to fully extend and lock. On landing; nose gear collapsed causing propeller strike and damage to landing gear; exhaust system; and engine cowl. Upon examination of landing gear; it was determined that the shimmy dampener broke and jammed the landing gear or allowed the nose gear to rotate in the well jamming it in the 'up' position. Emergency gear deployment procedures were ineffective and it appears that there was nothing that could have been done to prevent the accident once the shimmy dampener broke. It is possible that a more thorough preflight could have caught the condition which precipitated the shimmy dampener failure; but there was no obvious defect observable upon visual preflight inspection prior to the flight; and there were no hard lndgs or abrupt maneuvers which might have caused unusual stress on the shimmy dampener. Time on the part was 4800 hours. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter made a thorough preflight inspection and detected nothing on the nose gear that needed attention. The repair of the airplane has started and needs a propeller; engine teardown and lower nose sheet metal repair. FAA classified nose gear up landing as an incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28R ON APCH WITH THE LNDG GEAR EXTENDED THE NOSE GEAR FAILED TO EXTEND AND LOCK. EMER GEAR EXTENSION FAILED. ACFT INCURRED DAMAGE.

Narrative: IFR FLT PLAN FROM ZZZ1 TO ZZZ2. ON VISUAL APCH AND HAVING CANCELED FLT PLAN; LNDG GEAR (NOSE GEAR ONLY) FAILED TO FULLY EXTEND AND LOCK. ON LNDG; NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED CAUSING PROP STRIKE AND DAMAGE TO LNDG GEAR; EXHAUST SYS; AND ENG COWL. UPON EXAMINATION OF LNDG GEAR; IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE SHIMMY DAMPENER BROKE AND JAMMED THE LNDG GEAR OR ALLOWED THE NOSE GEAR TO ROTATE IN THE WELL JAMMING IT IN THE 'UP' POS. EMER GEAR DEPLOYMENT PROCS WERE INEFFECTIVE AND IT APPEARS THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO PREVENT THE ACCIDENT ONCE THE SHIMMY DAMPENER BROKE. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT A MORE THOROUGH PREFLT COULD HAVE CAUGHT THE CONDITION WHICH PRECIPITATED THE SHIMMY DAMPENER FAILURE; BUT THERE WAS NO OBVIOUS DEFECT OBSERVABLE UPON VISUAL PREFLT INSPECTION PRIOR TO THE FLT; AND THERE WERE NO HARD LNDGS OR ABRUPT MANEUVERS WHICH MIGHT HAVE CAUSED UNUSUAL STRESS ON THE SHIMMY DAMPENER. TIME ON THE PART WAS 4800 HRS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR MADE A THOROUGH PREFLT INSPECTION AND DETECTED NOTHING ON THE NOSE GEAR THAT NEEDED ATTN. THE REPAIR OF THE AIRPLANE HAS STARTED AND NEEDS A PROP; ENG TEARDOWN AND LOWER NOSE SHEET METAL REPAIR. FAA CLASSIFIED NOSE GEAR UP LNDG AS AN INCIDENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.