Incident Overview
On 22 July 2002 at 1158 UTC, a Cessna 172N (registration G-GZDO) was involved in an incident while landing at Elstree Aerodrome, Hertfordshire. The aircraft, manufactured in 1978 and powered by a single Lycoming O-320-H2AD piston engine, was being operated on a private flight with only the pilot on board. The pilot, aged 47, held a Private Pilot's Licence and had a total flying experience of 127 hours, of which 48 were on type, with 6 hours in the last 90 days and 6 hours in the last 28 days. No injuries were reported, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the nose landing gear, forward fuselage, and propeller.
Sequence of Events
The aircraft had departed from Elstree earlier that morning for a local navigation exercise. Upon returning, the pilot conducted an approach to Runway 26 with a surface wind from 260° at 10 kt. On final approach, with the speed stable and full flap deployed, the pilot became aware of another, faster aircraft behind on final approach. This second aircraft performed a go-around shortly before G-GZDO touched down.
The pilot reported flaring a little early, causing the aircraft to sink onto the runway and bounce. Feeling unable to go around due to the possible proximity of the other traffic, the pilot attempted to control the bounce and re-land. However, during the subsequent second bounce, the nose lowered, resulting in damage to the nose landing gear and the propeller contacting the runway surface.
Pilot's Comment
The pilot noted that the presence of a faster aircraft behind on the approach was a distraction.