History of the Flight
The pilot reported landing on grass Runway 18 in good weather with a surface wind of less than 5 kt. He held the nose landing gear off the runway, in his opinion because the surface was 'rough'. As he lowered the nosewheel, the aircraft passed over a public footpath that crosses the runway 180 m from the threshold. The pilot reported a loud thump and the nose of the aircraft dropped as the nose landing gear collapsed. Neither the pilot nor the passenger were injured; they vacated the aircraft normally after it stopped and was shut down. There was no fire.
Runway Inspection
The morning after the accident, a runway inspection was carried out by the airfield operator. It showed a single mark, consistent with the nose landing gear, 10 m before the footpath, then no ground marks for 38 m, until all three landing gear appeared to have contacted the runway with some evidence of scuffing by the nose landing gear, suggesting it had partially collapsed. A further 10 m on, there were marks from all three landing gear and the propeller on the runway surface. The marks continued to the point where the aircraft stopped. There had been no aircraft movements between the accident and the inspection, and the operator commented that the runway, including the footpath, was inspected daily.
CAA Confirmation
CAA Aerodrome Standards confirmed that Clacton is a licensed airfield and that the runway is considered fit for purpose, with the runway-to-footpath transition appropriately managed.
Comment
The ground marks recorded by the airfield operator are indicative of a bounced landing leading to the collapse of the nose landing gear.