What happened
On 18 May 2010, a Cessna 172S Skyhawk, registration G-SOOA, was conducting a private recreational flight when it approached Chichester (Goodwood) Aerodrome for a landing on Runway 24. During the final approach, the pilot noticed a drop in airspeed on the instruments and increased power, which caused the airspeed to rise to roughly 85 kt. The aircraft crossed the runway threshold at an altitude of approximately 200 ft.
In an attempt to manage the speed, the pilot reduced power and increased the pitch. This led to an increased rate of descent. Upon touchdown, which occurred past the intersection with Runway 14/32, the aircraft bounced three times. The final bounce resulted in a 45° pitch-up attitude before the aircraft pitched nose-down and landed heavily on the nosewheel. The aircraft eventually came to a stop near the end of the runway.
The investigation
Air Traffic Control (ATC) observed the nose oleo strut fail and instructed the pilot to stop and shut down the engine. Following the incident, debris from the front wheel spat was cleared from the runway. A subsequent inspection of the Cessna 172S Skyhawk revealed that the nose gear oleo was broken, the propeller tips were scuffed, and the front spat had split. Furthermore, the engine showed evidence of being shock-loaded, and there was potential damage to the firewall.
Findings
- The pilot's assessment identified that the approach was too high and the touchdown speed was higher than intended.
- The aircraft was positioned too far down the runway to safely execute a go-around given the obstacles at the runway end.
- The heavy landing on the nosewheel was the primary cause of the structural damage.