Narrative:

We were on a return trip from phoenix, az, and had stopped for fuel in controller in charge on nov/sun/95. We flew from chico V-23 with VFR flight following to tiw. Our last clearance was from seattle approach on 120.1 to descend through class B airspace. I then went to tower frequency 118.5 and announced my intent to land on runway 35. I then put down the gear lever and noticed I had only 2 of the 3 lights on, so I pulled the manual pump lever down and pumped it 50 times. I still had no green light. Next I recycled the gear and still only had 2 green lights. I then called FBO unicom on 122.95 and asked them to come out and give me a visual. I got no response. I then decided to do a low approach with my taxi light on since it was mounted on the front gear it would shine on the runway and give me an indication of if the gear was down. When I saw no light I did a go around and after getting no response from FBO unicom I used my cell phone to call my mechanic, mr B. He said he would be right there. I then heard from someone on unicom relaying a message from the guy at FBO telling us that he was driving the crash truck to the runway and would verify the gear position. We then tried to manually pump the gear down with no success. We did another low fly-by and the unicom came back with 'the gear appears to be down.' we kept trying to pump the gear and cycle the gear to no avail. I then decided to try the emergency deploy under the pilot's seat. This seemed to do nothing. By the fourth fly- by, mr B had arrived and had us fly over the taxiway to get a better look. After the low approach he said the gear was down but not locked. We then decided to make a landing. I came in with full flaps and the door jarred open. We landed on the threshold doing 80 mph and I held the nose up until it set down on the front gear. It then collapsed on the nose and slid about 200 ft. I then shut off the master and we all jumped out of the plane. We then had FBO bring out their tug and about 5 guys pulled down the tail which allowed the nose gear to drop so we could tow it off the runway. I then called the FAA to report the incident and to let them know the runway was clear. No one was injured and it appears the plane is repairable. Mr X at the renton FSDO office has determined this to be an incident, however he has indicated that there is an investigation going on for the following reason. After taking my interview he went to FBO who did the last repairs on the landing gear. He found that FBO had noted on the last repair invoice 'that there was a nose axle bolt too short and not engaging in the locking portion of the nut.' and because I was the PIC and I knew about this problem, I was guilty of flying an unairworthy aircraft. The only problem with this is I never got a copy of this invoice. My partner and I picked up the plane late in the afternoon, when the mechanics were still there and they said nothing about the bolt. They told us to go test fly the plane. FBO did not even send us a bill until oct/xx/95, 2 months after the repair. I only looked at the balance due and never knew about the bolt until the FSDO man showed it to me. I don't feel it's fair on the FAA's part to hold me responsible for something I knew nothing about. I am also enclosing a copy of the letter from my other mechanic to mr Y of FSDO describing what took place the night of the incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NOSE GEAR WOULD NOT LOCK DOWN FOR LNDG. IT COLLAPSED ON LNDG. FAA FSDO INVESTIGATION REVEALED DURING LAST REPAIR IT WAS NOTED THAT A NOSE AXLE BOLT WAS TOO SHORT AND NOT ENGAGING IN THE LOCKING NUT. RPTR OVERLOOKED THE NOTATION AND FSDO SAID RPTR WAS GUILTY OF FLYING AN UNAIRWORTHY ACFT.

Narrative: WE WERE ON A RETURN TRIP FROM PHOENIX, AZ, AND HAD STOPPED FOR FUEL IN CIC ON NOV/SUN/95. WE FLEW FROM CHICO V-23 WITH VFR FLT FOLLOWING TO TIW. OUR LAST CLRNC WAS FROM SEATTLE APCH ON 120.1 TO DSND THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE. I THEN WENT TO TWR FREQ 118.5 AND ANNOUNCED MY INTENT TO LAND ON RWY 35. I THEN PUT DOWN THE GEAR LEVER AND NOTICED I HAD ONLY 2 OF THE 3 LIGHTS ON, SO I PULLED THE MANUAL PUMP LEVER DOWN AND PUMPED IT 50 TIMES. I STILL HAD NO GREEN LIGHT. NEXT I RECYCLED THE GEAR AND STILL ONLY HAD 2 GREEN LIGHTS. I THEN CALLED FBO UNICOM ON 122.95 AND ASKED THEM TO COME OUT AND GIVE ME A VISUAL. I GOT NO RESPONSE. I THEN DECIDED TO DO A LOW APCH WITH MY TAXI LIGHT ON SINCE IT WAS MOUNTED ON THE FRONT GEAR IT WOULD SHINE ON THE RWY AND GIVE ME AN INDICATION OF IF THE GEAR WAS DOWN. WHEN I SAW NO LIGHT I DID A GAR AND AFTER GETTING NO RESPONSE FROM FBO UNICOM I USED MY CELL PHONE TO CALL MY MECH, MR B. HE SAID HE WOULD BE RIGHT THERE. I THEN HEARD FROM SOMEONE ON UNICOM RELAYING A MESSAGE FROM THE GUY AT FBO TELLING US THAT HE WAS DRIVING THE CRASH TRUCK TO THE RWY AND WOULD VERIFY THE GEAR POS. WE THEN TRIED TO MANUALLY PUMP THE GEAR DOWN WITH NO SUCCESS. WE DID ANOTHER LOW FLY-BY AND THE UNICOM CAME BACK WITH 'THE GEAR APPEARS TO BE DOWN.' WE KEPT TRYING TO PUMP THE GEAR AND CYCLE THE GEAR TO NO AVAIL. I THEN DECIDED TO TRY THE EMER DEPLOY UNDER THE PLT'S SEAT. THIS SEEMED TO DO NOTHING. BY THE FOURTH FLY- BY, MR B HAD ARRIVED AND HAD US FLY OVER THE TXWY TO GET A BETTER LOOK. AFTER THE LOW APCH HE SAID THE GEAR WAS DOWN BUT NOT LOCKED. WE THEN DECIDED TO MAKE A LNDG. I CAME IN WITH FULL FLAPS AND THE DOOR JARRED OPEN. WE LANDED ON THE THRESHOLD DOING 80 MPH AND I HELD THE NOSE UP UNTIL IT SET DOWN ON THE FRONT GEAR. IT THEN COLLAPSED ON THE NOSE AND SLID ABOUT 200 FT. I THEN SHUT OFF THE MASTER AND WE ALL JUMPED OUT OF THE PLANE. WE THEN HAD FBO BRING OUT THEIR TUG AND ABOUT 5 GUYS PULLED DOWN THE TAIL WHICH ALLOWED THE NOSE GEAR TO DROP SO WE COULD TOW IT OFF THE RWY. I THEN CALLED THE FAA TO RPT THE INCIDENT AND TO LET THEM KNOW THE RWY WAS CLR. NO ONE WAS INJURED AND IT APPEARS THE PLANE IS REPAIRABLE. MR X AT THE RENTON FSDO OFFICE HAS DETERMINED THIS TO BE AN INCIDENT, HOWEVER HE HAS INDICATED THAT THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION GOING ON FOR THE FOLLOWING REASON. AFTER TAKING MY INTERVIEW HE WENT TO FBO WHO DID THE LAST REPAIRS ON THE LNDG GEAR. HE FOUND THAT FBO HAD NOTED ON THE LAST REPAIR INVOICE 'THAT THERE WAS A NOSE AXLE BOLT TOO SHORT AND NOT ENGAGING IN THE LOCKING PORTION OF THE NUT.' AND BECAUSE I WAS THE PIC AND I KNEW ABOUT THIS PROB, I WAS GUILTY OF FLYING AN UNAIRWORTHY ACFT. THE ONLY PROB WITH THIS IS I NEVER GOT A COPY OF THIS INVOICE. MY PARTNER AND I PICKED UP THE PLANE LATE IN THE AFTERNOON, WHEN THE MECHS WERE STILL THERE AND THEY SAID NOTHING ABOUT THE BOLT. THEY TOLD US TO GO TEST FLY THE PLANE. FBO DID NOT EVEN SEND US A BILL UNTIL OCT/XX/95, 2 MONTHS AFTER THE REPAIR. I ONLY LOOKED AT THE BALANCE DUE AND NEVER KNEW ABOUT THE BOLT UNTIL THE FSDO MAN SHOWED IT TO ME. I DON'T FEEL IT'S FAIR ON THE FAA'S PART TO HOLD ME RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMETHING I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT. I AM ALSO ENCLOSING A COPY OF THE LETTER FROM MY OTHER MECH TO MR Y OF FSDO DESCRIBING WHAT TOOK PLACE THE NIGHT OF THE INCIDENT.

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.