What happened
On 18 September 2013, an Avions Pierre Robin CEA DR300/180R, registration G-BLGH, was performing a private local flight at Wycombe Air Park, Buckinghamshire. During the landing phase on Runway 24, the aircraft touched down on its main landing gear. As the pilot transitioned to the nosewheel by lowering the nose, the aircraft experienced a violent nosewheel shimmy.
To mitigate the vibration, the pilot applied a burst of engine power and maintained back pressure on the control column to reduce the load on the nosewheel. This action successfully arrested the shimmy, and the aircraft continued the landing without further incident. The pilot taxied the aircraft back to the hangar without noticing any other abnormalities.
The investigation
Upon disembarking the aircraft, the pilot identified a longitudinal crack located on the lower right side of the fuselage. The damage extended from the engine firewall to the wing front spar. The pilot noted that the initial touchdown on the main gear had been normal and that the aircraft had been held off the runway until the nosewheel made contact.
Findings
- The structural damage consisted of a crack in the right lower forward fuselage.
- The pilot attributed the damage to the intense vibrations caused by the nosewheel shimmy.
- The investigation considered the possibility that the aircraft may have sustained damage from a previous, unreported hard landing, given that the aircraft is frequently operated by various pilots.