Incident
On 12 December 1998 at 1323 UTC, a Cessna 152 (registration G-BMJC) sustained substantial damage to its nose landing gear and propeller during a landing at Cambridge Airport, Cambridgeshire. The aircraft was being operated on a private training flight with one pilot and one passenger on board. No injuries were reported.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft was a 1981 Cessna 152 powered by a single Lycoming O-235-L2C piston engine. The pilot held a Private Pilot's Licence and was 54 years old. His total flying experience was 123 hours, of which 86 were on type. In the last 90 days he had flown 6 hours, and in the last 28 days, 2 hours.
Sequence of Events
The pilot was a member of a flying club that required members to maintain solo currency by flying at least every 21 days. Although he did not particularly want to fly on the day of the accident, he felt under some pressure to do so to maintain currency. The weather forecast was good with a surface wind of 230°/10 kt. The flight was initially uneventful, but after a short time the pilot's headset failed and he had to use the passenger headset and the 'Press to Transmit' switch. He then encountered light drizzle and decided to return to the airfield and land.
On his initial approach to Runway 23, he was not lined up correctly and executed a go-around. The second approach was high and fast, but by that time the pilot felt that the flight was becoming a 'chore' rather than a pleasure and felt compelled to land. The aircraft landed on all three wheels and bounced before contacting the runway nosewheel first, at which point the nose wheel separated from the nose leg and the propeller struck the runway. The aircraft slid along the runway for some distance before coming to a halt. The pilot and his passenger were able to evacuate without assistance.
Probable Cause
According to the pilot's report submitted via the Aircraft Accident Report Form, the cause of the accident was his inability to concentrate sufficiently on the landing because of the problems he had encountered during the flight.