Many plane's "noses" are non-metallic so that the front-facing radar can be placed at the front of the aircraft. The ones I've seen are often fiberglass and are pretty weak. Breaking the plastic has very little impact on the ability of the aircraft to fly (compared to sucking a bird into an engine for instance).
The USAir flight that ended up in the Hudson river was disabled by striking a flock of Canadian geese (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesley_Sullenberger)