What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On 24 June 2006, the pilot privacy data omitted experienced a nose landing gear collapse upon landing on runway 27 at Titusville, FL (ktix). Pilot stated he took off from runway 22 (3412 feet) at cherokee county airport, canton, ga (47A; field elevation 1219 feet). At rotation speed (85 KIAS), pilot sensed a vibration resembling a wheel out of balance. Pilot stated this problem has not occurred before on this aircraft. With terrain ahead (trees) and what he estimated to be insufficient runway remaining to safely abort, the pilot continued the takeoff; once airborne, he called ctaf/unicom on 123.0 to alert them, but received no answer. He circled, attempting to troubleshoot the gear problem and cycled gear. This aircraft has no landing gear mirror, so he looked for and saw the nose gear reflecting off aircraft paint finish; he suspected a mechanical problem such as a detached tire weight, or wheel out of balance. He was unable to diagnose the problem in flight. He considered but eliminated the option to re-land at 47A; nearby options involving controlled fields were not attractive either due to their levels of activity. Pilot decid ed to press on to his destination, Space coastal regional airport, Titusville, FL (ktix), because burning off fuel would help mitigate a potential fire hazard on landing. Upon arrival at ktix, pilot advised the tower of his situation and performed a fly-by. Tower controllers and another aircraft on the surface advised the pilot that his gear appeared down and locked. Pilot observed indications of successful landing gear extension (three green) prior to landing. For the approach, he used a "soft field" technique to minimize sink rate. This involved retaining a small amount of power for the touchdown, rather than touching down at idle power. The main landing gear contacted the runway first, and he pulled the throttles back to idle. After idling the engines, pilot placed his hands on the mixture controls, ready to pull them to idle-cutoff (ico) position if necessary. As the nose wheel settled to the runway, the vibration immediately returned, the pilot placed the mixtures to ico, and within 1-2 seconds the nose wheel collapsed. The aircraft began to skid on its nose, but pilot had some directional control using braking. Pilot stated he has been flying this aircraft for several months,and is currently its only pilot. Furthermore, he stated that the aircraft is not used for training flights. Pilot stated he is not aware of the cause of the nose wheel collapse. Limited maintenance (propeller change, stiffening of nose landing gear) will be performed at ktix. The final decision rests with the owner, privacy data omitted who bought the aircraft in February 2006. Pilot expects a privacy data omitted of gann aviation, inc, lafayette, GA privacy data omitted to assess damage and make the final repairs at barwick lafayette airport, lafayette, ga (9A5). The pilot stated privacy data omitted ^ holds the aircraft's maintenance records. Additional information: pilot's current mailing address: privacy data omitted copy of pilot certificate: (pending) copy of medical (pending) copy of logbook info since jun 04, including endorsements in the back (pending) nature of pilot's employment: private carriage; corporate "chauffer" for owner's LLC; employment has since terminated. Pilot also works outside the aviation industry. Nature of privacy data omitted and "B55 LLC": privacy data omitted is a commercial real estate investor and non-pilot ; "B55 LLC" is a business created to operate the aircraft as an LLC; privacy data omitted is its managing member, a party of one. N6446N is a business asset used for the managing member's business and personal travel; privacy data omitted permitted the pilot to fly this aircraft.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON 24 JUNE 2006, THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ EXPERIENCED A NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSE UPON LANDING ON RUNWAY 27 AT TITUSVILLE, FL (KTIX). PILOT STATED HE TOOK OFF FROM RUNWAY 22 (3412 FEET) AT CHEROKEE COUNTY AIRPORT, CANTON, GA (47A; FIELD ELEVATION 1219 FEET). AT ROTATION SPEED (85 KIAS), PILOT SENSED A VIBRATION RESEMBLING A WHEEL OUT OF BALANCE. PILOT STATED THIS PROBLEM HAS NOT OCCURRED BEFORE ON THIS AIRCRAFT. WITH TERRAIN AHEAD (TREES) AND WHAT HE ESTIMATED TO BE INSUFFICIENT RUNWAY REMAINING TO SAFELY ABORT, THE PILOT CONTINUED THE TAKEOFF; ONCE AIRBORNE, HE CALLED CTAF/UNICOM ON 123.0 TO ALERT THEM, BUT RECEIVED NO ANSWER. HE CIRCLED, ATTEMPTING TO TROUBLESHOOT THE GEAR PROBLEM AND CYCLED GEAR. THIS AIRCRAFT HAS NO LANDING GEAR MIRROR, SO HE LOOKED FOR AND SAW THE NOSE GEAR REFLECTING OFF AIRCRAFT PAINT FINISH; HE SUSPECTED A MECHANICAL PROBLEM SUCH AS A DETACHED TIRE WEIGHT, OR WHEEL OUT OF BALANCE. HE WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM IN FLIGHT. HE CONSIDERED BUT ELIMINATED THE OPTION TO RE-LAND AT 47A; NEARBY OPTIONS INVOLVING CONTROLLED FIELDS WERE NOT ATTRACTIVE EITHER DUE TO THEIR LEVELS OF ACTIVITY. PILOT DECID ED TO PRESS ON TO HIS DESTINATION, SPACE COASTAL REGIONAL AIRPORT, TITUSVILLE, FL (KTIX), BECAUSE BURNING OFF FUEL WOULD HELP MITIGATE A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD ON LANDING. UPON ARRIVAL AT KTIX, PILOT ADVISED THE TOWER OF HIS SITUATION AND PERFORMED A FLY-BY. TOWER CONTROLLERS AND ANOTHER AIRCRAFT ON THE SURFACE ADVISED THE PILOT THAT HIS GEAR APPEARED DOWN AND LOCKED. PILOT OBSERVED INDICATIONS OF SUCCESSFUL LANDING GEAR EXTENSION (THREE GREEN) PRIOR TO LANDING. FOR THE APPROACH, HE USED A "SOFT FIELD" TECHNIQUE TO MINIMIZE SINK RATE. THIS INVOLVED RETAINING A SMALL AMOUNT OF POWER FOR THE TOUCHDOWN, RATHER THAN TOUCHING DOWN AT IDLE POWER. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR CONTACTED THE RUNWAY FIRST, AND HE PULLED THE THROTTLES BACK TO IDLE. AFTER IDLING THE ENGINES, PILOT PLACED HIS HANDS ON THE MIXTURE CONTROLS, READY TO PULL THEM TO IDLE-CUTOFF (ICO) POSITION IF NECESSARY. AS THE NOSE WHEEL SETTLED TO THE RUNWAY, THE VIBRATION IMMEDIATELY RETURNED, THE PILOT PLACED THE MIXTURES TO ICO, AND WITHIN 1-2 SECONDS THE NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSED. THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SKID ON ITS NOSE, BUT PILOT HAD SOME DIRECTIONAL CONTROL USING BRAKING. PILOT STATED HE HAS BEEN FLYING THIS AIRCRAFT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS,AND IS CURRENTLY ITS ONLY PILOT. FURTHERMORE, HE STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT IS NOT USED FOR TRAINING FLIGHTS. PILOT STATED HE IS NOT AWARE OF THE CAUSE OF THE NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSE. LIMITED MAINTENANCE (PROPELLER CHANGE, STIFFENING OF NOSE LANDING GEAR) WILL BE PERFORMED AT KTIX. THE FINAL DECISION RESTS WITH THE OWNER, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHO BOUGHT THE AIRCRAFT IN FEBRUARY 2006. PILOT EXPECTS A ^PRIVACY DATA OM^ OF GANN AVIATION, INC, LAFAYETTE, GA ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO ASSESS DAMAGE AND MAKE THE FINAL REPAIRS AT BARWICK LAFAYETTE AIRPORT, LAFAYETTE, GA (9A5). THE PILOT STATED ^PRIVACY ^ HOLDS THE AIRCRAFT'S MAINTENANCE RECORDS. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: PILOT'S CURRENT MAILING ADDRESS: ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ COPY OF PILOT CERTIFICATE: (PENDING) COPY OF MEDICAL (PENDING) COPY OF LOGBOOK INFO SINCE JUN 04, INCLUDING ENDORSEMENTS IN THE BACK (PENDING) NATURE OF PILOT'S EMPLOYMENT: PRIVATE CARRIAGE; CORPORATE "CHAUFFER" FOR OWNER'S LLC; EMPLOYMENT HAS SINCE TERMINATED. PILOT ALSO WORKS OUTSIDE THE AVIATION INDUSTRY. NATURE OF ^PRIVACY DATA OM^ AND "B55 LLC": ^PRIVACY DAT^ IS A COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE INVESTOR AND NON-PILOT ; "B55 LLC" IS A BUSINESS CREATED TO OPERATE THE AIRCRAFT AS AN LLC; ^PRIVACY^ IS ITS MANAGING MEMBER, A PARTY OF ONE. N6446N IS A BUSINESS ASSET USED FOR THE MANAGING MEMBER'S BUSINESS AND PERSONAL TRAVEL; ^PRIVACY^ PERMITTED THE PILOT TO FLY THIS AIRCRAFT.