On April 8, 1998, at 1645 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N6417J, sustained substantial damage while landing at the Santa Barbara, California, airport. The private pilot and passenger, the sole occupants, were not injured. The personal flight originated at the Van Nuys, California, airport, at 1535, and an IFR flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed along the route of flight. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector from the Van Nuys, California, Flight Standards District Office interviewed the pilot. The inspector stated that the pilot reported that he made a hard landing on runway 25, then taxied the aircraft off the runway and noticed that the nose gear strut was collapsed and the nose wheel tire was flat. The pilot reported that the winds at the time of the accident were from 260 degrees at 10 knots. After the accident, the aircraft operator was contacted and authorized replacement of the tire. The mechanic who replaced the tire signed off the aircraft as airworthy, and the aircraft was subsequently flown to its home base in El Monte where the operator inspected it. At that time, it was determined that the extent of the damage was more severe than first reported. An FAA inspector from the Los Angeles Flight Standards District Office inspected the aircraft and found a distorted firewall and boot cowl. This was reported as an incident on April 8, 1998, and was upgraded to an accident on June 17, 1998.