What happened
On 20 May 2018, a Piper PA-28-181 Cherokee Archer II, registration G-JJAN, was performing a private flight when it encountered difficulties during the landing phase at Solent Airport, Hampshire. The weather conditions at the time were reported as fine.
While approaching Runway 23R, the aircraft touched down shortly after the runway threshold. However, the aircraft bounced and became airborne once more. The pilot attempted to manage the descent back to the runway, but upon the subsequent touchdown, a grinding and scraping noise was heard. This impact caused damage to the nosewheel. Following a second bounce, the aircraft came to a final stop in a nose-low position. There were no injuries to the pilot or the three passengers on board, all of whom were secured with lap and diagonal harnesses.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The examination focused on the sequence of the landing and the physical impact on the aircraft's landing gear. The pilot noted that the approach speed was higher than ideal. It was determined that the heavy nature of the landing and the subsequent bounces led to the structural damage of the propeller and nosewheel.