Narrative:

This nose gear collapse incident occurred at wvi airport and involved my beechcraft duke; model BE60. After a successful IFR approach that involved descent through IMC; my final approach to landing was in clear air and proceeded normally with touchdown in the first 1/3 of the runway. Visibility was good and the lights along the entire length of the runway were clearly visible. All 3 components of the landing gear were fully extended as evidenced by 3 green gear lights and the absence of a red light transition light. The flaps were fully extended and the propellers were brought back to the stops as I crossed the runway threshold at an airspeed of around 110 KTS. During the landing rollout; I felt a sense of alternating jerks on the foot pedals. Soon thereafter the nose gear collapsed resulting in a prominent nose down attitude and a loud scraping noise as the forward weight of the aircraft came to rest on the fiberglas nose cone and the propellers of both engines. The aircraft continued down the runway with what seemed to be remarkably little resistance. Early in this slide; I pulled both mixture controls back to the idle cutoff stops. The throttles remained at their closed stops throughout the incident. I applied slight right braking during the slide and thus maneuvered the aircraft into a runway exit. The aircraft was physically clear of the runway when it came to a stop. I then turned both fuel selectors to their off position and contacted ATC to cancel IFR and told them that I had experienced a nose gear collapse. They offered to call emergency equipment. I responded that I would only need a tow. The controller acknowledged that transmission and we signed off. I then shut down all electronics; exited the aircraft and contacted my usual mechanic via telephone. He arrived on site and towed the aircraft to his hangar. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the BE60 nose gear design and construction includes a bolt susceptible to jarring and damage during tow operations. The FAA looked at this aircraft and considered this an incident caused by the well documented bolt failure.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE60 NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED ON ROLLOUT FOLLOWING A NORMAL LNDG.

Narrative: THIS NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT WVI ARPT AND INVOLVED MY BEECHCRAFT DUKE; MODEL BE60. AFTER A SUCCESSFUL IFR APCH THAT INVOLVED DSCNT THROUGH IMC; MY FINAL APCH TO LNDG WAS IN CLR AIR AND PROCEEDED NORMALLY WITH TOUCHDOWN IN THE FIRST 1/3 OF THE RWY. VISIBILITY WAS GOOD AND THE LIGHTS ALONG THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE RWY WERE CLRLY VISIBLE. ALL 3 COMPONENTS OF THE LNDG GEAR WERE FULLY EXTENDED AS EVIDENCED BY 3 GREEN GEAR LIGHTS AND THE ABSENCE OF A RED LIGHT TRANSITION LIGHT. THE FLAPS WERE FULLY EXTENDED AND THE PROPS WERE BROUGHT BACK TO THE STOPS AS I CROSSED THE RWY THRESHOLD AT AN AIRSPD OF AROUND 110 KTS. DURING THE LNDG ROLLOUT; I FELT A SENSE OF ALTERNATING JERKS ON THE FOOT PEDALS. SOON THEREAFTER THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED RESULTING IN A PROMINENT NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AND A LOUD SCRAPING NOISE AS THE FORWARD WT OF THE ACFT CAME TO REST ON THE FIBERGLAS NOSE CONE AND THE PROPS OF BOTH ENGS. THE ACFT CONTINUED DOWN THE RWY WITH WHAT SEEMED TO BE REMARKABLY LITTLE RESISTANCE. EARLY IN THIS SLIDE; I PULLED BOTH MIXTURE CTLS BACK TO THE IDLE CUTOFF STOPS. THE THROTTLES REMAINED AT THEIR CLOSED STOPS THROUGHOUT THE INCIDENT. I APPLIED SLIGHT R BRAKING DURING THE SLIDE AND THUS MANEUVERED THE ACFT INTO A RWY EXIT. THE ACFT WAS PHYSICALLY CLR OF THE RWY WHEN IT CAME TO A STOP. I THEN TURNED BOTH FUEL SELECTORS TO THEIR OFF POS AND CONTACTED ATC TO CANCEL IFR AND TOLD THEM THAT I HAD EXPERIENCED A NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE. THEY OFFERED TO CALL EMER EQUIP. I RESPONDED THAT I WOULD ONLY NEED A TOW. THE CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED THAT XMISSION AND WE SIGNED OFF. I THEN SHUT DOWN ALL ELECTRONICS; EXITED THE ACFT AND CONTACTED MY USUAL MECH VIA TELEPHONE. HE ARRIVED ON SITE AND TOWED THE ACFT TO HIS HANGAR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE BE60 NOSE GEAR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION INCLUDES A BOLT SUSCEPTIBLE TO JARRING AND DAMAGE DURING TOW OPS. THE FAA LOOKED AT THIS ACFT AND CONSIDERED THIS AN INCIDENT CAUSED BY THE WELL DOCUMENTED BOLT FAILURE.

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.