Introduction
On 23 August 2013, a Cessna 182P Skylane, registration G-EEZS, was involved in an accident during landing at Rochester Airport, Kent. The aircraft sustained damage to the nose gear, propeller, exhaust, and lower cowl. Neither the pilot nor the passenger was injured.
Flight Details
The aircraft was manufactured in 1972 and powered by a Continental Motors Corp O-470-R piston engine. The flight was a private trip from Popham to Rochester. The pilot, aged 72, held a Private Pilot's Licence and had a total of 253 flying hours, including 105 hours on type. His recent flying experience comprised 16 hours in the last 90 days and 2 hours in the last 28 days.
Accident Sequence
The pilot flew from Popham to Rochester in poorer visibility than he was accustomed to, and as a consequence, had become “rather stressed” upon arrival. The wind at Biggin Hill (18 miles west of Rochester) was forecast to be 130°/14 kt, so the pilot expected to use either Runway 16 or 20 at Rochester. However, he was assigned Runway 02. The pilot initially confused this for Runway 20 before realizing his error and repositioning the aircraft to join what he described as a “busy circuit”. On reporting final, he heard no acknowledgement. He continued his approach but realized he was too high over the threshold and “dived at the runway”. He was then distracted by a radio call requesting his position and failed to notice how much his speed had increased. With a rapidly approaching runway, the pilot became fixated on landing the aircraft. Following several bounces, the nose landing gear collapsed and broke away, before the aircraft came to a stop.
Pilot Report
In a frank and honest report, the pilot stated that his poor decision making and failure even to consider going around was a result of stress and distraction at a critical moment.
Damage
The nose gear detached, and the propeller, exhaust, and lower cowl were damaged. The aircraft came to a stop on the runway.