C172RG suffers nose gear collapse on landing at hef.

Attributes
ACN	609275
Time
Date	200402
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing : touch and go landing : roll
Route In Use	approach : traffic pattern arrival : vfr
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 3 flight time total : 267 flight time type : 87
ASRS Report	609275
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : insufficient time
Consequence	other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

On feb/thu/04, I went to FBO at ZZZ to perform a closed pattern night proficiency flight. I was cleared for takeoff and made a normal launch into the left traffic pattern for runway 34L. I left the landing gear in the down position throughout the entire flight. I made 4 uneventful takeoffs and full-stop lndgs before the landing in question. On the landing in question, I was once again cleared for a full stop by the tower. I flew a standard l-hand pattern and turned onto final approximately 3/4 of a mi from the runway threshold. I was on centerline, established myself on the VASI GS, and completed my landing checklist. I was in a stabilized approach at 70 KTS (+/- 2 KTS) with full flaps. There appeared to be a slight right to left crosswind. On short final, I remained on glide path, stabilized very slightly left of centerline at a speed of 65 KTS. As I approached the surface of the runway, I began a normal flare with a slight crosswind correction and touched down on the centerline with the main landing gear. I experienced a bounce, and thereafter maintained my landing pitch attitude and my alignment with the runway centerline. The aircraft settled down on the main gear a second time and as I lowered the nose, it fell through the horizontal with the propeller striking the runway. The airplane came to a stop shortly thereafter on centerline. I secured the fuel and electrical and exited the aircraft. I notified tower on my handheld that I was disabled on the runway with what I thought was a collapsed nose gear.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172RG SUFFERS NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE ON LNDG AT HEF.

Narrative: ON FEB/THU/04, I WENT TO FBO AT ZZZ TO PERFORM A CLOSED PATTERN NIGHT PROFICIENCY FLT. I WAS CLRED FOR TKOF AND MADE A NORMAL LAUNCH INTO THE L TFC PATTERN FOR RWY 34L. I LEFT THE LNDG GEAR IN THE DOWN POS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FLT. I MADE 4 UNEVENTFUL TKOFS AND FULL-STOP LNDGS BEFORE THE LNDG IN QUESTION. ON THE LNDG IN QUESTION, I WAS ONCE AGAIN CLRED FOR A FULL STOP BY THE TWR. I FLEW A STANDARD L-HAND PATTERN AND TURNED ONTO FINAL APPROX 3/4 OF A MI FROM THE RWY THRESHOLD. I WAS ON CTRLINE, ESTABLISHED MYSELF ON THE VASI GS, AND COMPLETED MY LNDG CHKLIST. I WAS IN A STABILIZED APCH AT 70 KTS (+/- 2 KTS) WITH FULL FLAPS. THERE APPEARED TO BE A SLIGHT R TO L XWIND. ON SHORT FINAL, I REMAINED ON GLIDE PATH, STABILIZED VERY SLIGHTLY L OF CTRLINE AT A SPD OF 65 KTS. AS I APCHED THE SURFACE OF THE RWY, I BEGAN A NORMAL FLARE WITH A SLIGHT XWIND CORRECTION AND TOUCHED DOWN ON THE CTRLINE WITH THE MAIN LNDG GEAR. I EXPERIENCED A BOUNCE, AND THEREAFTER MAINTAINED MY LNDG PITCH ATTITUDE AND MY ALIGNMENT WITH THE RWY CTRLINE. THE ACFT SETTLED DOWN ON THE MAIN GEAR A SECOND TIME AND AS I LOWERED THE NOSE, IT FELL THROUGH THE HORIZ WITH THE PROP STRIKING THE RWY. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO A STOP SHORTLY THEREAFTER ON CTRLINE. I SECURED THE FUEL AND ELECTRICAL AND EXITED THE ACFT. I NOTIFIED TWR ON MY HANDHELD THAT I WAS DISABLED ON THE RWY WITH WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A COLLAPSED NOSE GEAR.

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.