According to the captain, yhe flight was uneventful until the flight was on final approach to land on runway 21 at the destination airport. After completing the landing checklist the captain observed the main landing gear position indicator lights were illuminated indicating that the main landing gear was down and locked. The nose gear position indicator light was illuminated indicating that the nose gear was unlocked, and the hydraulic system was still operating. The captain aborted the approach, and executed a go-around. During the go-around the hydraulic caution lights illuminated. The captain contacted the Beaufort approach to advise them of the situation. The captain then requested to fly by the Beaufort control tower to visually confirm the nose landing gear position. The control tower confirmed the main landing gear was extended and the nose gear was retracted. The captain declared an emergency, and was given radar vectors, and diverted to Savannah International Airport, where an emergency landing on runway 9 was performed. Post-examination of the airplane revealed, the nose wheel doors were scraped and the nose wheel tire was blown. The pilot did not report any flight control malfunctions. A total of eighteen laboratory physical tests, a kinematic study, several general inspections, and a conformity check were conducted in an effort to duplicate the condition that occurred on 560-5132. Seven tests were preformed on a nose gear assembly from a Cessna test article. Eleven tests were performed on the nose ear assembly from 560-5132, including leak tests and service procedure tests. During the laboratory environment test the field failure could not be duplicated.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this incident to be:

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