Aircraft and Flight Details
The accident involved a Martyn JJ Vans RV-6A, registration G-BVRE, powered by a single Lycoming O-320-E2A piston engine. The aircraft was manufactured in 1995. The flight was a private operation with only the pilot and one passenger on board. The commander held a Private Pilot's Licence, was 63 years old, and had 1,064 total flying hours, including 44 hours on type. His recent flying experience included 4 hours in the last 90 days and 3 hours in the last 28 days.
Incident Sequence
On 21 April 2001 at 1305 UTC, the pilot performed a normal approach and touchdown on grass Runway 32 at Barton (Manchester) Airfield. During the landing roll-out, the nosewheel penetrated the wet turf layer and sank into the soil. The high drag forces caused the nose landing gear leg to collapse, resulting in the propeller contacting the ground. The propeller sustained damage before it stopped in a vertical position. The pilot noted that the stationary lower propeller blade's vertical orientation helped prevent the aircraft from nosing over as it came to rest.
Damage
Inspection revealed overload damage to the nose landing gear leg and its attachment to the fuselage structure. The propeller had ground contact damage, and the engine crankshaft was bent beyond limits. The drag loads transmitted through the nose landing gear strut into the firewall and associated fuselage structure induced overload failures in those components. The runway surface showed a furrow approximately 36 metres long where the nosewheel had dug in.
Pilot Observations
The pilot reported that during deceleration, after the nosewheel began sinking, his ankle joints rotated so far backward that he had difficulty releasing pressure on the brakes. He brought this issue to the attention of the Popular Flying Association and suggested a possible modification to the rudder pedals to improve the geometry of the lower leg and foot relative to the pedals.