Flight Details
On 26 April 1998 at 1330 UTC, a Cessna 206 (registration PH-KFF, year of manufacture 1965) operated on a private flight from Holland to Kent International Airport, Manston. The aircraft was powered by a single Continental IO-520-FCA piston engine. On board were one pilot and three passengers. The 35-year-old pilot held a Private Pilot's Licence and had accumulated 479 total flying hours, of which 1 hour was on type. In the preceding 90 days he had flown 36 hours, and in the last 28 days, 10 hours.
Landing Sequence
During the approach to Runway 28, the wind was from 200°M at 18 kt gusting to 25 kt. The pilot held the left wing low to compensate for the crosswind. At touchdown, the left main wheel contacted the runway first, followed shortly by the right main wheel. When the pilot lowered the nosewheel, the aircraft veered sharply to the left. In response, the pilot raised the nosewheel off the runway and held the aircraft straight. After further deceleration, the nosewheel was lowered again. Despite the pilot applying hard right brake and rudder, the aircraft veered uncontrollably to the left. The nose landing gear collapsed and the propeller struck the runway.
Post-Landing Observations
After the aircraft came to a stop, the pilot, who was not injured, exited the cockpit and observed two tyre skid marks on the runway. One mark, relatively straight, was made by hard braking on the right main wheel. The other, made by the nosewheel, curved to the left from the point of initial nosewheel touchdown. The nose landing gear had collapsed to the left. The reaction of the aircraft, the tyre marks, and the direction of nosegear collapse indicated that the nosewheel may have been considerably deflected to the left on both occasions it touched down during this landing. The aircraft manufacturer's maximum demonstrated crosswind component for landing is 20 kt.