What happened
On June 2, 2006, a SIAI S.205-18/R, registration I-LARJ, was performing a private flight from Vergiate to Venice S. Nicolò. During the final approach to runway 06, the aircraft struck the grass runway with excessive force. The impact caused the aircraft to bounce, and during the subsequent touchdown, the nose gear strut broke. The engine subsequently stopped, and the aircraft came to a halt on the runway. The incident resulted in a 10-minute closure of the airfield while recovery operations were conducted. There were no injuries to the two occupants on board.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight parameters during the landing phase. At the time of the impact, the aircraft was configured with 30 degrees of flaps and traveling at a speed of 85 MPH. Investigators examined the mechanical condition of the aircraft, noting that the airframe had logged 1,432 hours since its manufacture in 1968. The inspection confirmed that the aircraft's airworthiness was intact, and no technical or mechanical failures were identified as contributing to the incident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the pilot's improper management of the descent rate, which led to a heavy touchdown.
- The landing was performed with a tailwind, which may have contributed to the high-impact landing.
- The structural failure was specifically identified as the breakage of one of the two pins in the nose gear strut due to the force of the bounce.