Incident Overview
On 4 May 1998 at 1425 hours UTC, a Cessna 152, registration G-IRAN, sustained damage to its nose landing gear following a landing accident at Andrewsfield Aerodrome in Essex. The aircraft, manufactured in 1980, was powered by one Avro Lycoming O-235-L2C piston engine.
Flight Details
The flight was conducted as private training. On board were two crew members: a flying instructor and a Private Pilot Licence (PPL) holder, who had accumulated 110 flying hours and was undergoing a check flight. The aircraft carried no passengers. Both occupants escaped without injury.
Pilot Experience
The commander, aged 26, held a Basic Commercial Pilot's Licence with a Flying Instructor (FI) rating. His total flying experience was 592 hours, of which 162 were on the Cessna 152 type. In the previous 90 days, he had flown 200 hours, including 70 hours in the last 28 days.
Sequence of Events
Runway 27R was in use, with the surface wind reported as 310° at less than 5 knots. During the first approach, the aircraft bounced after touchdown. The pilot allowed the nose to drop, and the instructor was unable to intervene in time to prevent the nosewheel from making heavy contact with the runway surface. The nose landing gear subsequently collapsed, and the aircraft veered off the runway to the right.
Safety Equipment
Both occupants were wearing lap and diagonal upper torso restraints and were able to exit the aircraft without injury.
Damage
The accident resulted in damage to the nose landing gear.
Information Source
The details of this incident were provided by the pilot in an Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted to the relevant authorities.