Hard Landing of a Cessna F-152-II at León Airport (EC-DSY)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On April 4, 2002, a Cessna F-152-II with registration EC-DSY was involved in a hard landing incident at León Airport. The aircraft, manufactured in 1980 and powered by a single Lycoming O-235-L2C engine, was operating in a general aviation, non-commercial, pleasure flight. The pilot in command was a 43-year-old male holding a private pilot license with 65 total flight hours. The flight originated from León Airport earlier that day, with the pilot traveling to Valladolid Airport to refuel before returning to León. This detour was necessary because AVGAS 100LL fuel was unavailable at León Airport at the time. The aircraft departed Valladolid fully fueled and arrived back at León Airport around 15:00 local time. During the approach, the pilot executed a normal approach but made a hard initial contact with the runway on three points. This caused the aircraft to bounce back into the air before descending again, resulting in a hard impact with the nose wheel followed by the main landing gear. The remainder of the landing was completed normally. Upon inspection on the apron, minor damage was found on the nose gear and the engine mount. The pilot was uninjured. Weather conditions at the time were favorable, with calm winds, visibility exceeding 10 km, and a temperature of 9°C. ## Analysis and Probable Cause The investigation analysis, based on the pilot's testimony, indicated that the pilot performed a late flare during the final approach. Although the aircraft raised its nose slightly, it was insufficient to prevent a three-point hard contact. This late action also meant the descent rate was not adequately reduced, leading to the hard initial impact. The bounce caused the aircraft to lose significant energy and speed. At these lower speeds, the horizontal stabilizer lost much of its effectiveness, causing the aircraft to pitch down sharply and descend rapidly. The pilot did not correct the high-nose attitude following the initial impact, which led the aircraft into a stall. The aircraft then fell to the runway, impacting hard with the nose gear, which caused the reported damage to the nose gear and engine mount. The incident was attributed to incorrect pilot action during the final landing phase, specifically the late flare and the failure to correct the high-nose attitude after the initial impact.