What happened
On 20 August 2007, a Cessna 172S Skyhawk, registration G-GFMT, was performing a local flight at Manchester (Barton) Aerodrome. Following a successful landing on the grass Runway 09R, the pilot prepared for a touch-and-go maneuver. The wind conditions at the time were reported as 10 knots from 020°, with slight variations between 36/0° and 050°.
The pilot reported a normal approach and landing, noting that back pressure was maintained on the controls after touchdown. However, during the transition to the touch-and-go, specifically as the engine power was increased and the flaps were retracted to 10°, the nose landing gear suddenly failed. The nose leg collapsed and detached from the aircraft approximately 20 metres from the runway threshold. The aircraft continued to travel for about 100 metres before coming to a complete stop. The pilot immediately deactivated the engine and all other aircraft systems. All three passengers and the pilot exited the aircraft without any injuries.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical integrity of the landing gear assembly. The aircraft sustained significant damage, including a detached nose leg, a damaged propeller due to shock-loading, and damage to the engine firewall. Investigators examined the structure where the nose gear attaches to the airframe to determine if any underlying issues contributed to the failure.
Findings
- The investigation identified overload failures within the structure to which the nose landing gear is attached.
- There was no evidence of a landing bounce or porpoising that could have triggered the collapse.
- No prior indications of a mechanical issue were present in the aircraft's systems.
- There were no signs of fatigue or any pre-existing failure in the nose leg that would have predisposed it to such a collapse.