What happened
On 8 September 2014, a P and M Aviation Quik R, registration G-CFDL, was conducting a private flight from Wiltshire to Arclid Airfield in Cheshire. The pilot, who was unfamiliar with the airfield, initially attempted to land on Grass Runway 02 but determined the approach was too high, leading to a decision to perform a go-around.
During the second approach, the pilot began the flare over the first third of the runway. However, the flare was executed too high and maintained for too long. This caused the aircraft to lose airspeed and stall at an altitude of approximately 10 ft. The aircraft initially touched down on all three wheels but bounced back into the air, subsequently striking the ground on the nose landing gear. The impact caused the nosewheel suspension to collapse. The resulting damage to the nose gear pulled the foot throttle operating cable, which increased engine RPM and caused the aircraft to veer right. The aircraft left the runway and entered an adjacent pasture, where it eventually rolled onto its side. There were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight conditions, the runway characteristics, and the pilot's actions. The runway used was a 400 m grass strip featuring a slight downslope through its middle third. Wind conditions were recorded at 330º at approximately 7 kt. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's experience and the mechanical sequence following the initial touchdown.