What happened
A student pilot was conducting a round robin, cross-country training flight when he executed his first landing on Runway 4 at Greater Kankakee Airport. During the touchdown phase, the aircraft encountered strong crosswind conditions. The airplane bounced upon contact with the runway surface and subsequently veered off the paved surface.
After leaving the runway, the aircraft encountered soft terrain which caused the nose gear to collapse. The student pilot estimated that the wind was coming from 100 degrees at a gusting speed of 25 knots during the incident.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical failure of the landing gear following the off-runway excursion. The primary finding was the structural failure of the nose gear assembly after impacting soft ground conditions immediately after the runway departure.
Findings
The sequence of events began with a bounced landing during strong crosswind conditions. The loss of directional control led to the aircraft leaving the paved surface. Upon encountering soft terrain, the nose gear collapsed. The pilot's estimation of wind conditions indicated significant gusting, which likely contributed to the difficulty in maintaining runway alignment and controlling the bounce.
Safety message
Landing in strong crosswinds requires precise control inputs to prevent bouncing and loss of directional control. Pilots must be prepared for soft terrain hazards if an aircraft veers off the runway surface.