History of the Flight
The pilot, who held a Private Pilot's Licence and had recently purchased the aircraft, was conducting circuits on Runway 22 at Wolverhampton Airport. The asphalt runway has an available landing distance of 574 m, a width of 18 m, and a downslope. The surface wind was gusty, and the reported wind at the time of the accident was from 230° at 15 kt.
On the third or fourth circuit, the aircraft bounced on landing and carried out a go-around. The pilot then departed the circuit for a local flight. After about 10 minutes, the aircraft returned to the airfield, and the pilot made a further approach to Runway 22. The Flight Information Service Officer (FISO) on duty observed the aircraft 'porpoise' and then land nose down, whereupon the nose landing gear collapsed. The propeller also sustained damage. Neither the pilot nor the passenger was injured.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that he experienced a sudden gust of crosswind as the aircraft touched down, which lifted the aircraft back into the air and then dropped it suddenly, causing a hard landing on the nosewheel. The maximum demonstrated crosswind component for the Cessna 182 series is 15 kt.
Additional Information
An Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) study on landing accidents noted that landing was the phase of flight when most Cessna 182 accidents occurred, and that the type had a greater proportion of hard landing accidents relative to other comparable types. The study also noted that common factors in the accidents were: pilots transitioning from types of aircraft with lighter elevator controls; a forward centre of gravity, which typically occurred with two persons on board; and poor speed control on short finals.