History of the Flight
The aircraft, a Cessna U206 Super Skywagon registered G-ATCE, was typically used for carrying sport parachutists. On 9 October 2005, the pilot was returning alone to the grass strip at the Lewknor dropping zone after refueling at Wycombe Air Park. The weather was clear, with a south-westerly wind at approximately 7 knots. The pilot contacted the dropping zone and advised of a straight-in approach to Runway 33, which he had been using throughout the day.
Approach and Landing
The pilot reported that the initial approach was uneventful and stable. During the final approach, he selected flaps to 40° and trimmed for 70 mph with minor power adjustments. After experiencing slight turbulence while passing over a ridge, the final approach remained stable, with the left wing held slightly low to compensate for the crosswind.
Touchdown occurred at about 65 mph. However, after a short ground roll, the aircraft encountered a pronounced bump in the runway surface approximately one-fifth of the way along the strip. This bump caused the aircraft to become airborne again momentarily. The pilot recalled pulling back slightly on the control column, and the aircraft returned to the runway.
Sequence of Events
The subsequent landing did not appear particularly heavy to the pilot, but he heard an unusual mechanical noise shortly after. He then became aware that the nose had dropped and that the propeller blades were striking the ground. The nose continued to drop until the aircraft slid off the right side of the runway and came to a halt. The pilot performed the shutdown drills and exited through the sliding side door. There was no fire, and the pilot observed that the nose landing gear had detached and was lying further back along the runway.
Damage and Investigation
The accident resulted in a propeller strike and a failed nose landing gear leg. No evidence of pre-existing damage in the nose landing gear strut or support structure was observed. The failure was considered to have been probably due to overload as a result of the encounter with the bump along the runway.