Aircraft Information
The aircraft involved was a Jabiru UL-450, registration G-CCAE, manufactured in 2003. It was powered by a single Jabiru 2200A piston engine. The flight was conducted under private operation. The commander, aged 52, held a Private Pilot’s Licence with a total flying experience of 358 hours, of which 26 were on type. In the preceding 90 days, he had logged 8 hours, and in the last 28 days, 5 hours. Two persons were on board, both crew; no passengers were carried.
Incident Narrative
The pilot reported that the landing was normal. During the landing roll, the aircraft continued into an area of the runway not normally used. While the pilot applied heavy braking, the nosewheel encountered a depression in the runway surface. This caused the aircraft to pitch forward, and the propeller struck the ground.
Damage and Mechanical Details
The propeller sustained damage, and the nosewheel suspension assembly was bent. The nose landing gear design features a trailing fork supporting the wheel, attached to a fixed landing gear leg. Suspension is provided by a spring strut connecting the fork to a bracket welded to the rear of the fixed leg. The forces generated during the event distorted both the spring strut and its attachment bracket. This distortion allowed the nosewheel to rise higher than its normal travel. The combination of the excessive nosewheel rise, the depression in the runway, and tire deflection reduced the clearance between the propeller and the ground, resulting in the propeller strike.
Probable Cause
As stated in the report, the combination of the distortion to the spring strut and bracket, which allowed the nosewheel to rise further than normal, the dip in the ground and tyre deflection, resulted in the loss of propeller tip clearance with the ground.