Honestly that was cool from what's I've heard. If the nose gear was sideways then something was prolly wrong internally, maybe a centering cam or something similar. But who knows, I'm a Hydraulic craftsman and I couldn't guess to why that broke without looking at it, and prolly taking it apart.
a few years ago we landed a B-1 bomber in a salt bed after the nose gear wouldn't extend.... much cooler IMO. They coasted on the mains forever before the pilot GENTLY lowered the nose onto the ground. It was an awesome display of ability...