What happened
On 15 March 2007, a Cessna 150F, registration G-BSZV, was performing a solo training flight at Sandown Airport, Isle of Wight. The student pilot was conducting a series of landings on the grass runway, having previously completed two landings with an instructor earlier that day. During the approach, the pilot configured the aircraft with full flaps at 400 feet and notified the airfield flight information service officer (AFISO) of the final approach.
As the aircraft approached the runway threshold, it bounced during the flare. Upon the subsequent touchdown, a gust of wind from the north-northwest caused the aircraft to roll to the left. The pilot attempted to correct the roll using right aileron and right rudder inputs, but the aircraft remained unstable. During the landing sequence, the nose landing gear leg failed at its connection to the engine mount and rotated backward. This caused the engine cowling and lower fuselage skin to strike the runway, while the propeller and engine also sustained damage from the impact.
The investigation
The investigation established that the nose landing gear leg failed at the engine mount attachment point. The impact with the runway surface caused the engine and propeller to be shock-loaded and resulted in minor damage to the fuselage skin. The investigation also noted that the pilot had applied full right rudder during the landing. Because the nosewheel of this aircraft type rotates in response to rudder pedal inputs, the right rudder application caused the nosewheel to turn to the right, which increased the lateral load on the gear leg during the touchdown.
Findings
- The nose landing gear leg failed at its attachment to the engine mount.
- The aircraft experienced a bounced touchdown prior to the final contact with the runway.
- The application of full right rudder during touchdown increased the load on the nose landing gear leg due to the nosewheel's directional response to rudder input.
- There was no evidence of any pre-existing mechanical defects that would have contributed to the gear failure.