What happened
On 30 May 2016, a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee, registration G-NHRH, was performing a private flight from Dunkeswell Airfield back to Compton Abbas Airfield. After an earlier flight in the same day, the pilot and one passenger approached the dry grass runway 08. Due to a northeasterly wind of 20 knots, the pilot maintained an approach speed of 75 knots, which was higher than the standard 61 knots recommended in the pilot's operating handbook.
The aircraft touched down more than halfway along the runway. Shortly after contact with the ground, the occupants felt a significant jolt. The nose landing gear assembly failed, causing the propeller blades to strike the ground and the engine mounting to distort. The aircraft came to rest 64 metres from the point of collapse, positioned 45 degrees left of the runway centerline. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger.
The investigation
The AAIB examined the wreckage and found that the nosewheel had detached, with one fork assembly leg breaking and the other bending by approximately 60 degrees. The impact also caused the engine to be pushed back and upward.
An experienced pilot observing the approach noted that the aircraft appeared higher than expected at the threshold, at roughly 100 feet. This witness observed that the aircraft did not appear to flare before making ground contact in a nose-down attitude approximately 500 metres from the start of the runway.
Investigation into the pilot's flying records revealed a significant period of inactivity. While the pilot held a National Private Pilot's Licence, he had only flown three hours in the 18 months preceding the accident and had not flown with an instructor since November 2014.