Accident Details
On 1 June 2011 at 1028 hours UTC, a Flight Design CTSW, registration G-OMSA, experienced a collapse of the nose landing gear while landing at Peterborough (Sibson) Airfield in Cambridgeshire. The aircraft, which was manufactured in 2009 and powered by a single Rotax 912ULS piston engine, sustained substantial damage. The pilot, the sole occupant, was uninjured and vacated the aircraft unaided.
Flight History
The aircraft was being flown in loose formation with another similar aircraft. Upon joining the circuit at Sibson, the two pilots agreed by radio that the other aircraft would approach first and perform a touch-and-go. G-OMSA followed the other aircraft around the circuit as agreed.
A flying instructor was taxiing an aircraft with a student to the holding point of Runway 24 when he heard the radio conversation between the two pilots. From the holding point, he observed both aircraft during their final approach and landing. He saw the first aircraft execute a touch-and-go, and then observed G-OMSA on short final descend to just above the surface of the starter extension to the runway. The aircraft then flew up the slope at a constant height and touched down in a flat attitude just before the runway displaced threshold. It bounced, touched down again in a flat attitude, and the nose gear collapsed. As the aircraft slowed, it tipped over and came to rest inverted. The instructor reported that he thought G-OMSA was too close to the first aircraft and expected to see it go-around.
Pilot Comments
The pilot stated that he had not flown to Sibson before and, although he had self-briefed using a flight guide, he was unaware of the upslope to the displaced threshold of Runway 24. He commented that he had possibly been distracted by the upslope and his proximity to the preceding aircraft. He suggested that the nosewheel may have caught in a divot, which could have led to the nose gear collapse. He indicated plans to visit the airfield again with an instructor to practice the approach and to research new destinations more thoroughly in the future.