What happened
On 4 May 2010, a private flight involving an EV-97 TeamEurostar UK, registration G-SJES, was conducting a local flight near Eshott Airfield in Northumberland. While returning to the airfield circuit, the pilot encountered turbulence during an approach at 600 ft agl. The aircraft performed an overhead join and was established on final approach for Runway 26, with surface winds recorded at 10 kt from the west.
As the pilot reduced power during the flare, the aircraft lost lift and dropped toward the ground. The aircraft subsequently bounced twice before stalling onto the nose landing gear. The impact caused the nose gear to collapse, resulting in damage to the engine firewall, the propeller, the floor, and the nose landing gear itself. There were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report form provided by the pilot. The examination focused on the sequence of the landing, specifically the aircraft's behavior during the reduction of power and the subsequent impact with the runway surface.