1985 rutan long e-z. Nose gear failed on hard landing.

Attributes
ACN	409369
Time
Date	199807
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : oaj
State Reference	NC
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Amateur (Home) Built
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	landing other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 20 flight time total : 310 flight time type : 15
ASRS Report	409369
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	observation : passenger
Qualification	other other : other
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground critical other anomaly other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : insufficient time
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Flew a normal approach to runway 23. Visibility was good with haze. Night was very dark. Approach was normal and on parameters until over the threshold. The reils were giving me a problem trying to identify my touchdown zone. I failed to consider using the pilot controled lighting to turn them off. My focus shifted from my touchdown point to trying to keep myself from being blinded by the reils. This distraction caused me to miss the rapid rate of descent until the very last moment. When I realized I would hit flat, I applied full power and tried to flare. My short time in the aircraft made me feel unsure of how much I could flare without having a propeller strike. As a result, I hit flat and hard. This sheared off the 4 bolts holding the front tire on. Once I realized I had no tire, I continued to hold my nose off the runway until my canards lost effect and my nose fell to the runway, scraping away 2.5 inches of my composite strut. There was no traffic at the airport, so I hand towed the aircraft to its tiedown spot. Crash fire rescue equipment recovered the tire. No injuries occurred to myself or my passenger.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 1985 RUTAN LONG E-Z. NOSE GEAR FAILED ON HARD LNDG.

Narrative: FLEW A NORMAL APCH TO RWY 23. VISIBILITY WAS GOOD WITH HAZE. NIGHT WAS VERY DARK. APCH WAS NORMAL AND ON PARAMETERS UNTIL OVER THE THRESHOLD. THE REILS WERE GIVING ME A PROB TRYING TO IDENT MY TOUCHDOWN ZONE. I FAILED TO CONSIDER USING THE PLT CTLED LIGHTING TO TURN THEM OFF. MY FOCUS SHIFTED FROM MY TOUCHDOWN POINT TO TRYING TO KEEP MYSELF FROM BEING BLINDED BY THE REILS. THIS DISTR CAUSED ME TO MISS THE RAPID RATE OF DSCNT UNTIL THE VERY LAST MOMENT. WHEN I REALIZED I WOULD HIT FLAT, I APPLIED FULL PWR AND TRIED TO FLARE. MY SHORT TIME IN THE ACFT MADE ME FEEL UNSURE OF HOW MUCH I COULD FLARE WITHOUT HAVING A PROP STRIKE. AS A RESULT, I HIT FLAT AND HARD. THIS SHEARED OFF THE 4 BOLTS HOLDING THE FRONT TIRE ON. ONCE I REALIZED I HAD NO TIRE, I CONTINUED TO HOLD MY NOSE OFF THE RWY UNTIL MY CANARDS LOST EFFECT AND MY NOSE FELL TO THE RWY, SCRAPING AWAY 2.5 INCHES OF MY COMPOSITE STRUT. THERE WAS NO TFC AT THE ARPT, SO I HAND TOWED THE ACFT TO ITS TIEDOWN SPOT. CFR RECOVERED THE TIRE. NO INJURIES OCCURRED TO MYSELF OR MY PAX.

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.