Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 23; Flight Crew Total 252; Flight Crew Type 126
Situational Awareness; Workload
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
General Maintenance Action; General Police / Security Involved
Aircraft
After completing a local sightseeing flight in my Paradise P-1 (PAR1) on a beautiful clear day; I returned to my home airport for one touch n go and then a planned full stop. I made a very good stable approach with the aircraft properly configured; airspeed correct over the threshold; and aligned with the runway centerline. I made a normal flare and I sensed that the aircraft had touched down on the main gear first. When the nose came down the nose strut collapsed; the prop hit the pavement and I slid about 100 feet. I immediately shut everything off including fuel flow and called on the CTAF for assistance to remove the airplane from the runway. There were NO injuries; NO fuel leaks and NO damage to airport property. It was an unfortunate incident as describe in 49 CFR Part 830. However; several people near the runway had seen the incident and called 911. Soon police and firetrucks responded. I refused medical examination but the bureaucracy ball had been in motion. When the police were notified that there was a disabled aircraft on the runway; they immediately notified Center and the NTSB! The airport manager issued a runway closed NOTAM for several hours. The police would not let us move the airplane until they heard back from the NTSB that it was OK to move it. I told them over and over it was an incident and did not need to be reported; but they had already notified NTSB. I finally talked to an FAA Representative and got permission from him to move the airplane to my hangar for insurance assessment and hopefully repairs and return to service.This was an unfortunate incident of possible material failure of the nose gear strut causing the nose landing gear to collapse. NO injuries to personnel; NO damage to airport property and NO fuel leaks. Just embarrassment and frustration at the way it was handled by local authorities with a report to the NTSB.
A Paradise P-1 pilot reported that after a stabilized approach and normal main wheel landing; the nose strut collapsed when he lowered it onto the runway.