Accident Details
The aircraft involved was an Ikarus C42 FB80, registration G-CDRO, manufactured in 2005 with a single Rotax 912-UL piston engine. The accident occurred on 30 June 2016 at 1620 hrs UTC at Popham Airfield, Hampshire. The flight was a private solo circuit session with one pilot on board and no passengers. The pilot, aged 61, held a National Private Pilot’s Licence and had 145 hours of flying experience, all on type. He had not flown in the preceding 10 months and had completed a check flight with an instructor earlier that day.
Sequence of Events
The pilot conducted three uneventful solo circuits. During the fourth circuit, shortly before the landing flare, he became distracted by a radio message from the air/ground radio operator requesting his position. Realising the aircraft was high and slow, he initiated a go-around. However, the aircraft bounced before climbing away. On the subsequent landing, the nose landing gear collapsed. The source indicates that the collapse probably resulted from damage sustained during the previous ground contact.
Injuries and Damage
No injuries were reported. The only damage was to the nose landing gear leg, which collapsed.
Investigation
The information for this report was provided by the pilot via an Aircraft Accident Report Form.