What happened
On 29 March 2018, a Cessna 152, registration G-BOLW, was performing a private flight from Southend Airport to Beccles Airfield in Suffolk. During the arrival, the pilot initiated a go-around after realizing the aircraft was too high on the initial approach to Runway 27. On the subsequent second approach, the pilot attempted to correct the glide path by delaying the selection of full flaps until late in the maneuver.
This late flap deployment likely caused an increased rate of descent. The aircraft subsequently struck the runway heavily, resulting in a bounce. Following this, the aircraft made contact with the ground in a nose-down attitude. The impact caused the nose landing gear to partially collapse and the propeller blades to strike the runway surface. The aircraft eventually came to a stop on the soft ground to the right of the runway. There were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight sequence and the pilot's recent flying experience. It was established that the pilot had recently regained currency following a period of several months without flying. While the pilot had flown with an instructor at Southend Airport, that environment featured a large runway and approach lighting, which differed significantly from the conditions at Beccles.
Findings
- The pilot misjudged the altitude of both the initial and second approaches.
- On the second attempt, the pilot chose to steepen the approach via late flap selection rather than performing another go-around.
- The late selection of full flaps likely increased the aircraft's rate of descent, leading to a heavy landing.
- The pilot lacked recent experience in managing bounced landings on smaller runways, having primarily practiced at a larger airfield.