What happened
On 11 April 2014, a Cessna 152, registration G-BIDH, was conducting training flights at Beverley (Linley Hill) Aerodrome in Yorkshire. The flight was being conducted by a student pilot performing solo circuits. After successfully completing an initial set of solo circuits, the pilot began a second set of exercises. During the first circuit of this second set, the pilot contacted the instructor via radio to confirm the appropriate flap setting, receiving advice to use either 20 or 30 degrees based on personal judgement.
During the approach, the pilot flared the aircraft higher than usual. Upon touchdown, the aircraft bounced. Following this bounce, the nose of the aircraft dropped, leading to the collapse of the nose landing gear upon impact with the ground. The aircraft came to a rest supported by the underside of the engine cowling. The incident resulted in no injuries to the pilot, though the aircraft sustained significant damage, including a bent propeller, damage to the engine frame, and structural damage to the firewall and cowling.
The investigation
The AAIB investigation examined the aircraft's configuration and the pilot's actions during the landing phase. It was established that while the pilot believed the flaps were set to 20 degrees, they were actually set to 30 degrees. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's flight experience and the sequence of events following the initial bounce on the runway.
Findings
- The pilot's attempt to compensate for a nose-down attitude caused by the 30-degree flap setting likely contributed to the high flare during the approach.
- The pilot failed to recognize that the aircraft was in a deteriorating state due to a lack of experience with poor landings.
- The pilot failed to initiate a go-around after the initial bounce, instead attempting to force the aircraft onto the runway by lowering the nose, which resulted in an excessive descent rate and the subsequent collapse of the nose gear.