What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Witness statement was taken from property owner at the scene. Witness saw aircraft rolling down runway before nose gear collapsed. Witness moved aircraft off of runway prior to FAA arriving on scene.
Witness walked along runway pointing out marks in the grass caused by the aircraft (landing gear marks, prop strikes, and gear collapse) during the landing roll.
Runway length is approximately 2500 ft; aircraft came to a stop a little over 1700 ft down the runway.
Elongated indentations in the grass were noted along the runway; the first ones are evident approximately 1300FT from the approach end of the runway and several more indentations were noted for the next ~300 ft. several prop strike marks were evident just before the apparent nosegear collapse which occurred about 1600 ft down the runway and appeared stop at the end of a stretch of damaged ground that was continuous for about 120 ft.
The aircraft itself seemed to sustain minor damage. Both propeller blades were bent towards the rear of the aircraft and dirt/debris was visible on the tips.
The nose gear was collapsed but the main gear appeared to be undamaged. Some damage to the exhaust was noted with grass/debris visible on the underside of the cowling. No noticeable damage to the firewall was apparent.
Pilot's statement was emailed to FSDO and is as follows, "my flight to Orient Ohio begin on the morning of 18 September. Weather was projected to be VFR all the way. After toping off the fuel tanks I departed from kslo salem IL on a 2.3HR leg to the 2600 grass runway in Orient Ohio. The flight there was normal and without any issues. Once I descended to the pattern in Orient I made two passes before attempting to land. The two passes I surveyed the strip and the check for winds. There was slight breeze straight down the runway at 090. On the final attempt to land I touched down but bounced, but was able recover and set the main wheels down then the nose. I rolled for a few hundred feet and then applied the brakes but the nose gear folded at that point thus allowing the nose to dip and the prop struck the ground as the plane skid to a stop. The skid was not very abrupt. I turn off the master and battery switches and exited the plane."
As the FAA filed it
WITNESS STATEMENT WAS TAKEN FROM PROPERTY OWNER AT THE SCENE. WITNESS SAW AIRCRAFT ROLLING DOWN RUNWAY BEFORE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. WITNESS MOVED AIRCRAFT OFF OF RUNWAY PRIOR TO FAA ARRIVING ON SCENE.
WITNESS WALKED ALONG RUNWAY POINTING OUT MARKS IN THE GRASS CAUSED BY THE AIRCRAFT (LANDING GEAR MARKS, PROP STRIKES, AND GEAR COLLAPSE) DURING THE LANDING ROLL.
RUNWAY LENGTH IS APPROXIMATELY 2500 FT; AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP A LITTLE OVER 1700 FT DOWN THE RUNWAY.
ELONGATED INDENTATIONS IN THE GRASS WERE NOTED ALONG THE RUNWAY; THE FIRST ONES ARE EVIDENT APPROXIMATELY 1300FT FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY AND SEVERAL MORE INDENTATIONS WERE NOTED FOR THE NEXT ~300 FT. SEVERAL PROP STRIKE MARKS WERE EVIDENT JUST BEFORE THE APPARENT NOSEGEAR COLLAPSE WHICH OCCURRED ABOUT 1600 FT DOWN THE RUNWAY AND APPEARED STOP AT THE END OF A STRETCH OF DAMAGED GROUND THAT WAS CONTINUOUS FOR ABOUT 120 FT.
THE AIRCRAFT ITSELF SEEMED TO SUSTAIN MINOR DAMAGE. BOTH PROPELLER BLADES WERE BENT TOWARDS THE REAR OF THE AIRCRAFT AND DIRT/DEBRIS WAS VISIBLE ON THE TIPS.
THE NOSE GEAR WAS COLLAPSED BUT THE MAIN GEAR APPEARED TO BE UNDAMAGED. SOME DAMAGE TO THE EXHAUST WAS NOTED WITH GRASS/DEBRIS VISIBLE ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE COWLING. NO NOTICEABLE DAMAGE TO THE FIREWALL WAS APPARENT.
PILOT'S STATEMENT WAS EMAILED TO FSDO AND IS AS FOLLOWS, "MY FLIGHT TO ORIENT OHIO BEGIN ON THE MORNING OF 18 SEPTEMBER. WEATHER WAS PROJECTED TO BE VFR ALL THE WAY. AFTER TOPING OFF THE FUEL TANKS I DEPARTED FROM KSLO SALEM IL ON A 2.3HR LEG TO THE 2600 GRASS RUNWAY IN ORIENT OHIO. THE FLIGHT THERE WAS NORMAL AND WITHOUT ANY ISSUES. ONCE I DESCENDED TO THE PATTERN IN ORIENT I MADE TWO PASSES BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO LAND. THE TWO PASSES I SURVEYED THE STRIP AND THE CHECK FOR WINDS. THERE WAS SLIGHT BREEZE STRAIGHT DOWN THE RUNWAY AT 090. ON THE FINAL ATTEMPT TO LAND I TOUCHED DOWN BUT BOUNCED, BUT WAS ABLE RECOVER AND SET THE MAIN WHEELS DOWN THEN THE NOSE. I ROLLED FOR A FEW HUNDRED FEET AND THEN APPLIED THE BRAKES BUT THE NOSE GEAR FOLDED AT THAT POINT THUS ALLOWING THE NOSE TO DIP AND THE PROP STRUCK THE GROUND AS THE PLANE SKID TO A STOP. THE SKID WAS NOT VERY ABRUPT. I TURN OFF THE MASTER AND BATTERY SWITCHES AND EXITED THE PLANE."