What happened
On 28 July 1998, a Cessna T210M, registration G-BEYV, was performing a private flight when it encountered difficulties during the landing phase at Edinburgh Airport. As the aircraft was executing the flare, the nose of the plane dropped unexpectedly. This movement caused the nose wheel to make contact with the runway surface, resulting in the collapse of the nose landing gear. The incident occurred at 1719 UTC under conditions characterized by light winds.
The investigation
The investigation was initiated following an aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The examination focused on the sequence of events during the landing approach and the environmental conditions at the time of the occurrence. The crew, consisting of the pilot and one passenger, sustained no injuries. The impact resulted in substantial damage to both the propeller and the nose landing gear.
Findings
- The primary cause of the landing gear failure was a wind gust occurring during the flare maneuver.
- The aircraft's nose descended into the runway surface due to this atmospheric disturbance.
- The impact was sufficient to cause significant structural damage to the forward landing gear assembly and the propeller.