What happened
On a recent flight, a CESSNA 172R, registration SU-BQZ, was conducting a training flight involving several circuits. During the landing phase of the flight, the student pilot experienced a nose-first touchdown on the runway. The impact was significant enough to cause damage to the aircraft's nose landing gear, specifically affecting the nose strut and the nose wheel. Additionally, the impact caused damage to the firewall and the aircraft's shoes.
Following the incident, the pilot reported a problem with the nose wheel upon arrival at the hangar. An inspection confirmed that the damage was the result of a heavy landing.