History of the Flight
The pilot, a 50-year-old male holding a Private Pilot's Licence with 80 hours total experience (all on type), was conducting a short solo flight in the Cessna 172P Skyhawk (G-BYET). After returning to Redhill Aerodrome, he was initially cleared for an overhead rejoin but accepted an offer from ATC for a straight-in approach to Runway 26R. He lined up and set landing flap, but then realised he had descended below normal circuit height. He began the approach below the correct profile, using a higher-than-normal power setting to try to regain the glide path. Approaching the threshold, he became concerned about an undershoot and added more power. The aircraft landed on the runway just beyond the identification numbers and bounced. Several bounces followed, each increasing in severity with large pitching moments. On the penultimate bounce, the tower controller saw the nose wheel bend backwards before collapsing when the wheels next contacted the runway. The aircraft came to a halt with the propeller striking the ground, stopping the engine. The pilot radioed that he was uninjured, turned off the electrics, and vacated the aircraft. The airfield fire service applied a protective foam blanket over a fuel leak from the accident.
Analysis
The pilot considered that applying more power than normal during the approach resulted in exceeding the correct touchdown speed. He also stated that he had become fixated on his touchdown point in the latter stages of the approach. The pilot had experienced two abandoned landings previously (one solo and one with an instructor) due to bounces on touchdown. On this occasion, he did not recognise the severity of the initial bounce and did not apply power or attempt a go-around; instead, he tried to control the aircraft back onto the ground with power at idle.