Incident Details
On 31 August 2003, at approximately 20:05 local time, a Cessna 172N, registration EC-IEH, was landing at Cuatro Vientos Airport (Madrid) after a pleasure flight from Granada. The pilot, aged 21 with a commercial pilot license and 184 total flight hours (92 on type), had flown to Granada earlier that day and had checked weather reports. During the return, the tower reported wind from 260 degrees at 18 knots, gusts 23 knots, with wind shear, and cleared the aircraft to land on runway 28.
The pilot flew a wide circuit to stabilize the approach, using 10 degrees of flaps due to the strong wind. The approach was normal except for some turbulence. The aircraft touched down on the main gear and began to lower the nose wheel. Before the nose wheel contacted the runway, the aircraft became airborne again, likely due to a gust, at about 45 knots. The pilot kept the nose neutral until the aircraft stopped climbing, then pulled back to attempt a second touchdown. This second landing was harder, and the aircraft bounced again with very low speed, then dropped onto the runway with a high descent rate. Despite the pilot raising the nose sharply, a hard impact occurred. The aircraft continued rolling until the nose dropped to the ground, stopping near high-speed exit E.
Damage
Minor damage was observed: the propeller tips had contacted the runway, and the nose gear fork was broken. The fork was later examined and showed no pre-existing defects; the fracture appeared to be due to overload.
Meteorological Conditions
According to meteorological data from the airport, the maximum wind recorded in the 10 minutes before and after the incident was 23 knots. The crosswind component was about 8 knots, and the headwind component about 21 knots. The pilot had been informed of gusts of 23 knots and wind shear when cleared to land.
Conclusion
The incident was probably caused by a strong headwind gust that the pilot could not counteract, leading to a bounce during landing.