The airplane was substantially damaged at 1635 Eastern time when its nose landing gear collapsed during landing rollout. The airline transport pilot was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed; an IFR flight plan had been filed. The flight’s purpose of the flight was to return the airplane to its foreign base after maintenance.
After takeoff, the pilot raised the landing gear but the nose landing gear did not retract. He then completed the emergency checklist and extended the gear, observing three gear-down lights, and elected to return for a landing. The touchdown was normal. However, during the rollout, as the airplane decelerated through 60 knots, the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane’s nose and propellers made contact with the pavement. Examination of the nose landing gear assembly revealed the nose landing gear actuator rod end was not connected to the nose landing gear drag brace.
