Introduction
On 11 August 1999, at 1740 hours, a Cessna 152 (registration G-BGAA) experienced a landing incident at RAF Henlow, Bedfordshire, resulting in substantial damage to its nose landing gear. The aircraft, which was manufactured in 1978, was operating a private flight with only the pilot on board.
Incident Details
The pilot, a 32-year-old private pilot with a total of 85 flying hours (77 of which were on type), had flown only 2 hours in the preceding 90 days and none in the last 28 days. Upon landing, the aircraft bounced. After the bounce, the nose landing gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to turn through 180 degrees. The pilot vacated the aircraft uninjured.
Pilot Report
According to the pilot's report submitted on an Aircraft Accident Report Form, the nose landing gear collapsed as a direct result of the bounce. The pilot acknowledged that he had allowed the aircraft to bounce during landing, attributing this to his relatively low level of experience and the fact that little of that experience had been recently gained.
Damage
The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the nose landing gear. No other damage was reported, and there were no injuries to the pilot.