What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
After take off, the gear did not fully retract when commanded. (Gear up light did not come on.) Pilot found and reset popped circuit breaker, operated gear control several times, but could not verify gear movement or position. The pilot returned to the departure airport and eventually acheived gear down light with visual confirmation from tower. The pilot made a hard and bounced touchdown, reestablished controlled flight momentarily above the runway, then landed. After touchdown of the nose gear, no steering control was available, and the aircraft veered right and exited the runway into the grass. A subsequent inspection by a mechanic determined that one propeller blade was very slightly gound (scraped) at the blade tip and that a nose gear steering tube had separated (weld failure) from the steering assembly linkage, resulting in no steering control.
As the FAA filed it
AFTER TAKE OFF, THE GEAR DID NOT FULLY RETRACT WHEN COMMANDED. (GEAR UP LIGHT DID NOT COME ON.) PILOT FOUND AND RESET POPPED CIRCUIT BREAKER, OPERATED GEAR CONTROL SEVERAL TIMES, BUT COULD NOT VERIFY GEAR MOVEMENT OR POSITION. THE PILOT RETURNED TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT AND EVENTUALLY ACHEIVED GEAR DOWN LIGHT WITH VISUAL CONFIRMATION FROM TOWER. THE PILOT MADE A HARD AND BOUNCED TOUCHDOWN, REESTABLISHED CONTROLLED FLIGHT MOMENTARILY ABOVE THE RUNWAY, THEN LANDED. AFTER TOUCHDOWN OF THE NOSE GEAR, NO STEERING CONTROL WAS AVAILABLE, AND THE AIRCRAFT VEERED RIGHT AND EXITED THE RUNWAY INTO THE GRASS. A SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION BY A MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT ONE PROPELLER BLADE WAS VERY SLIGHTLY GOUND (SCRAPED) AT THE BLADE TIP AND THAT A NOSE GEAR STEERING TUBE HAD SEPARATED (WELD FAILURE) FROM THE STEERING ASSEMBLY LINKAGE, RESULTING IN NO STEERING CONTROL.