What happened
On 10 July 2003, a Cessna 150, registration G-AWPU, was conducting a training flight at Manchester (Barton) Aerodrome. The student pilot, who was performing a cross-country navigation exercise, had previously completed two circuits of Runway 20 with an instructor to familiarise themselves with the runway.
During the return to the right-hand circuit for Runway 20, the pilot configured the aircraft for landing, initially setting flaps to 20° and later increasing them to 30° on final approach while maintaining an airspeed of 60 kt. The weather conditions were clear with visibility exceeding 10 km and winds between 10 and 15 kt from 210° to 240°.
As the aircraft rounded out above the runway threshold, it drifted toward the left side of the runway, appearing to be affected by a wind from the right. Because the aircraft was still over the grass portion of the runway, the pilot maintained a nose-up attitude, allowing the aircraft to settle onto the surface. However, the aircraft experienced a heavy touchdown and bounced roughly two feet into the air. Upon the second contact, the nose landing gear struck the ground first, causing the oleo to bend aft and resulting in the propeller striking the ground, which subsequently stopped the engine.
There were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight sequence and the pilot's actions following the bounce. The pilot provided information via an aircraft accident report form. The analysis focused on the aircraft's movement during the round-out phase and the subsequent impact with the ground.
Findings
- The aircraft experienced a heavy touchdown and bounce during the landing phase.
- The pilot noted that the aircraft drifted left during the round-out, likely due to a wind component from the right.
- The pilot considered that the nose of the aircraft may not have been held high enough following the bounce, leading to the nose landing gear striking the ground first.
- The pilot also identified that a go-around should have been initiated by applying power after the initial bounce occurred.