What happened
On July 27, 2021, a private VFR flight operating a Cessna 172S, registration OY-ELO, was traveling from Herning (EKHG) to Raarup (EKRA). During the approach to runway 28, the pilot encountered a south wind of approximately 8 to 10 knots. To manage the left crosswind, the pilot utilized full flaps and maintained an approach speed of 80 knots.
As the aircraft neared the ground, it experienced a sudden drop of roughly 0.5 meters. This caused the aircraft to strike the runway and bounce into the air. Despite attempts to correct the flight path using elevator inputs, the aircraft bounced an additional three times. During these impacts, the aircraft struck the runway heavily with the nose gear first. The pilot managed to brake the aircraft and taxi to a parking position.
The investigation
The Danish Accident Investigation Board conducted an initial safety investigation into the event. The investigation confirmed that the accident occurred during daylight under visual meteorological conditions (VMC). The inspection of the aircraft revealed that the nose tire had punctured, the nose landing gear strut was damaged, the propeller struck the ground, and the cowling sustained damage. Minor damage to the runway surface was also noted.
Findings
- The aircraft experienced a sudden loss of altitude just above the ground during the landing phase.
- The primary cause of the damage was repeated heavy impacts with the runway following an initial bounce.
- The pilot's attempts to stabilize the aircraft via elevator input were unsuccessful in preventing subsequent bounces.