Wheels up landing involving a Piper PA-34-200T, VH-WJI, Dubbo, New South Wales, on 15 December 1994

The pilot reported that he obtained the normal safe landing gear indication after the gear was extended prior to landing. The touchdown was normal, but the nose gear collapsed as it contacted the runway. It was later determined that the nose gear drag brace fitting which attaches to the fuselage was loose.

Some of the attaching rivets had been replaced with bolts at some time prior to the accident. The bolts and remaining rivets had worked loose. This allowed a change in geometry of the downlock mechanism which unlocked under the landing load and allowed the nose leg to collapse.