What happened
On 2 July 2014, a Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee, registration G-ASIL, was performing a private flight at Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport in Staffordshire. While approaching Runway 16, the pilot followed the standard circuit pattern, joining the downwind leg at 1,100 ft aglim. During the base leg, the aircraft slowed to 90 mph as the pilot extended two stages of flaps. Upon turning onto final, the speed was reduced to 85 mph with the third flap stage selected, and further slowed to 80 mph as the aircraft crossed the airfield boundary.
As the aircraft approached the runway, the pilot closed the throttle to glide the final 50 to 100 ft toward the surface. During the flare, the aircraft made contact with the runway before the maneuver was finished. The aircraft bounced approximately three times. During this sequence, the nose landing gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to slide forward on its nose. The impact resulted in a bent firewall, engine shock-loading, and damage to the propeller, nose gear, and the underside of the fuselage. There were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The examination focused on the aircraft's attitude and speed during the touchdown phase. The pilot noted that the aircraft was traveling at a relatively high ground speed due to a lack of headwind and had not lost sufficient speed during the flare. It was determined that the aircraft likely struck a bump at the start of the touchdown zone while maintaining a relatively flat attitude.