What happened
On 12 December 1998, a Cessna 152, registration G-BMJC, was conducting a private training flight at Cambridge Airport. The flight was intended to maintain the pilot's solo currency requirements. While the flight began without incident, the pilot experienced a failure of his headset, necessitating the use of the passenger's headset and a manual transmit switch. Shortly after, the aircraft encountered light drizzle.
During the initial approach to Runway 23, the pilot was not correctly aligned with the runway and performed a go-around. On the subsequent approach, the aircraft was flying at a high and fast airspeed. The pilot, feeling a sense of compulsion to complete the flight, proceeded to land. The aircraft touched down on all three wheels but subsequently bounced. Upon the second contact with the runway, the nosewheel struck the surface first, causing the nose gear to separate from the nose leg and the propeller to strike the runway. The aircraft slid along the runway before coming to a stop. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report form provided by the pilot. Investigators examined the sequence of events leading to the landing and the pilot's decision-making process. The investigation noted that the pilot felt pressure to fly to satisfy flying club currency regulations, despite not initially wanting to fly that day. The investigation also looked into the technical issues encountered during the flight, specifically the headset failure and the weather conditions.