What happened
On 3 July 2019, a Piper PA-32-300, registration G-KNOW, was performing a private cross-country flight from Lydd, United Kingdom, to Le Touquet Côte d’Opale aerodrome. The aircraft was carrying the pilot and three passengers.
Upon arrival, the pilot was assigned a straight-in approach to runway 13. During the final approach, the pilot observed another aircraft, a Piper PA-28, taxiing on the runway. This observation caused the pilot to become uncertain about the runway's status and whether a go-around was necessary. While the pilot monitored the movements of the aircraft on the ground, the tower controller eventually cleared the G-Klanding sequence.
As the aircraft reached short final, it struck the runway with significant force. The nose gear hit the pavement first, causing the nose gear fairing to break off. The aircraft then underwent a series of three bounces, reaching a height of approximately five to six meters during the first bounce. During the second bounce, the nose gear collapsed, and the aircraft eventually came to a stop on the left edge of the runway, resulting in heavy damage to the aircraft.
The investigation
The BEA examined the flight sequence, radio communications, and statements from both the pilot and the tower controller. The investigation reviewed the aircraft's configuration, noting that the pilot had set the flaps to the second notch and maintained an airspeed of 85 knots. The investigation also considered the environmental conditions, specifically a wind from 050° at 14 knots with gusts up to 22 knots, which exceeded the aircraft's maximum demonstrated crosswind component of 17 knots.
Findings
- The pilot's attention was diverted from trajectory management to the movements of the aircraft on the ground.
- The pilot made the decision to continue the approach despite experiencing uncertainty regarding runway occupation.
- The pilot failed to flare the aircraft, leading to a hard nose-first touchdown.