What happened
On 17 June 2017, a Falco F8L Falco, registration G-CYLL, was conducting a private local flight when it experienced a landing gear failure at Breighton Airfield, Yorkshire. As the aircraft approached the airfield, the pilot selected the landing gear to the down position. The cockpit indicators subsequently signaled that the gear was locked, displaying a steady green light for the nose gear and mechanical pop-up indicators for the main gear.
The aircraft performed a standard approach and touched down into the wind on its main landing gear. As the aircraft decelerated, the nose wheel made contact with the runway. Shortly after this contact, the nose landing gear continued to sink into the wheel well. This collapse caused the propeller to strike the grass surface, which destroyed the propeller and caused suspected shockloading of the engine. The aircraft subsequently came to a halt, with the nose gear assembly collapsed. There were no injuries to the pilot or the single passenger on board.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of the landing and the state of the landing gear prior to the incident. It was noted that the aircraft had completed two normal landings earlier in the flight sequence. Investigators looked into the possibility that the nose landing gear assembly may have sustained damage during one of these previous landings, which subsequently led to the failure during the final touchdown.
Findings
- The nose landing gear collapsed despite the cockpit instrumentation providing a signal that the gear was down and locked.
- The propeller was destroyed and the engine likely suffered shockloading due to the impact with the ground.
- The nose landing gear assembly may have been damaged during a previous landing earlier in the same flight.