Cessna RG172 flight crew has the nosewheel collapse during landing.

Attributes
ACN	714558
Time
Date	200610
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : amw.airport
State Reference	IA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : san.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Skylane 182/RG Turbo Skylane/RG
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	landing : roll
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	instruction : instructor
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument pilot : cfi pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 135 flight time total : 1300 flight time type : 135
ASRS Report	714558
Person 2
Affiliation	other
Function	instruction : trainee
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : gear indicator other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	flight crew : executed go around
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

While rolling out from landing; the nose gear collapsed. Student was a commercial pilot training for CFI license. We had been practicing short field takeoffs and lndgs. Wind was down the runway. The student; who had about 80 hours in type; was struggling with his technique. Timing of the flare for a proper touchdown was main problem. On our second to last landing his approach was looking better and felt good to me. Once again he started to flare high but stopped himself. I felt we were still in a good position but suddenly the aircraft stalled; landed hard in a flat attitude and bounced. Altitude at the stall was probably 5-10 ft. The student immediately performed a go around. After completing the go around I took the flight controls from the student. I intended to demonstrate a short field landing so he could see one. I planned for it to be our last landing. On downwind I extended the landing gear. The main gear extended and sounded; felt and looked like they were down and locked. The green light indicating that the nose gear was locked did not light up. Checking the mirror showed that the nose gear was extended. With mixed signals we exited the pattern; cycled the gear twice and did as much troubleshooting as possible. We considered that something was probably damaged in the last landing. Determining what it was was the tricky part. We both hoped for a broken switch circuit wire; so that it was just a faulty indication. We also thought that the rough landing could have compressed the strut enough that it wouldn't contact the down switch. We decided to make a soft field landing with minimum braking and hope for the best. I performed the landing. It was perfect soft field technique with the nosewheel touching down at the lowest possible speed. The nose gear touched down and I continued to hold full back pressure to keep weight off the nose. As we slowed to taxi speed on the runway the nose gear collapsed. Damage was limited to the engine and skin.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CESSNA RG172 FLT CREW HAS THE NOSEWHEEL COLLAPSE DURING LNDG.

Narrative: WHILE ROLLING OUT FROM LNDG; THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. STUDENT WAS A COMMERCIAL PLT TRAINING FOR CFI LICENSE. WE HAD BEEN PRACTICING SHORT FIELD TKOFS AND LNDGS. WIND WAS DOWN THE RWY. THE STUDENT; WHO HAD ABOUT 80 HRS IN TYPE; WAS STRUGGLING WITH HIS TECHNIQUE. TIMING OF THE FLARE FOR A PROPER TOUCHDOWN WAS MAIN PROB. ON OUR SECOND TO LAST LNDG HIS APCH WAS LOOKING BETTER AND FELT GOOD TO ME. ONCE AGAIN HE STARTED TO FLARE HIGH BUT STOPPED HIMSELF. I FELT WE WERE STILL IN A GOOD POS BUT SUDDENLY THE ACFT STALLED; LANDED HARD IN A FLAT ATTITUDE AND BOUNCED. ALT AT THE STALL WAS PROBABLY 5-10 FT. THE STUDENT IMMEDIATELY PERFORMED A GAR. AFTER COMPLETING THE GAR I TOOK THE FLT CTLS FROM THE STUDENT. I INTENDED TO DEMONSTRATE A SHORT FIELD LNDG SO HE COULD SEE ONE. I PLANNED FOR IT TO BE OUR LAST LNDG. ON DOWNWIND I EXTENDED THE LNDG GEAR. THE MAIN GEAR EXTENDED AND SOUNDED; FELT AND LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE DOWN AND LOCKED. THE GREEN LIGHT INDICATING THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS LOCKED DID NOT LIGHT UP. CHKING THE MIRROR SHOWED THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS EXTENDED. WITH MIXED SIGNALS WE EXITED THE PATTERN; CYCLED THE GEAR TWICE AND DID AS MUCH TROUBLESHOOTING AS POSSIBLE. WE CONSIDERED THAT SOMETHING WAS PROBABLY DAMAGED IN THE LAST LNDG. DETERMINING WHAT IT WAS WAS THE TRICKY PART. WE BOTH HOPED FOR A BROKEN SWITCH CIRCUIT WIRE; SO THAT IT WAS JUST A FAULTY INDICATION. WE ALSO THOUGHT THAT THE ROUGH LNDG COULD HAVE COMPRESSED THE STRUT ENOUGH THAT IT WOULDN'T CONTACT THE DOWN SWITCH. WE DECIDED TO MAKE A SOFT FIELD LNDG WITH MINIMUM BRAKING AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. I PERFORMED THE LNDG. IT WAS PERFECT SOFT FIELD TECHNIQUE WITH THE NOSEWHEEL TOUCHING DOWN AT THE LOWEST POSSIBLE SPD. THE NOSE GEAR TOUCHED DOWN AND I CONTINUED TO HOLD FULL BACK PRESSURE TO KEEP WT OFF THE NOSE. AS WE SLOWED TO TAXI SPD ON THE RWY THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE ENG AND SKIN.

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.