Incident Overview
On 20 May 2000 at 1415 hours UTC, a Grumman AA-5, registration G-BCIK, suffered extensive damage during a landing at Tatenhill Airfield, Staffordshire. The aircraft, manufactured in 1974, was powered by a single Lycoming O-320-E2G piston engine. The flight was conducted under Private category with one pilot and one passenger on board. Both occupants reported no injuries.
Aircraft and Pilot
The pilot, aged 53, held a Private Pilot's Licence and had accumulated 120 total flying hours, of which only 2 hours were on the Grumman AA-5 type. In the 90 days and 28 days preceding the accident, the pilot had flown zero hours.
Sequence of Events
The aircraft was on a local flight and landing on Runway 26. Surface wind was from 190° at 7 knots. Eyewitnesses reported that the aircraft bounced upon initial touchdown. This was followed by a series of divergent bounces, which culminated in the collapse of the nose landing gear and further extensive damage to the airframe.
Damage
The damage to the aircraft was described as extensive, primarily resulting from the nose gear collapse and subsequent ground contact.
Cause
The pilot assessed that the accident had been caused by the lack of a positive decision to execute a go-around.