What happened
On 18 June 2010, a Cessna 152, registration G-CEYI, was performing a private flight at RAF Henlow, Bedfordshire. The pilot, an experienced flyer with over 24,000 total flying hours, intended to use the flight to update his currency. At the time of the incident, the weather featured good visibility and an overcast ceiling of approximately 1,500 ft, with light winds from the north-east.
During the flight, the first two circuits were completed without issue. However, during the third circuit, the aircraft bounced upon touchdown on Runway 02. The pilot attempted a subsequent landing, but the aircraft touched down with a flat and firm attitude. Shortly after rolling a few metres along the runway, the nose landing gear collapsed. The impact caused the propeller blades to strike the runway surface, and the engine stopped. The pilot was able to shut down the fuel, magnetos, and master switch before exiting the aircraft safely. There were no injuries reported, and no fire occurred.
The investigation
The investigation, prompted by the pilot's accident report, examined the sequence of the landing and the physical damage sustained by the aircraft. The inspection revealed extensive damage to the engine bay, firewall, lower fuselage, engine cowling, propeller, and the nose landing gear. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's recent flying history, noting that while the commander possessed significant total experience, he had flown only 4 hours in the preceding 90 days and 1 hour in the preceding 28 days.
Findings
- The primary cause of the gear collapse was that the nose landing gear was overloaded following a bounced landing and a subsequent flat, firm touchdown.
- The pilot noted that a failure to execute a go-around or maintain the proper landing attitude after the initial bounce contributed to the accident.
- A lack of recent experience in light aircraft was identified as a potential contributing factor.