What happened
On 31 July 2011, a Morane Saulnier MS.893E Rallye 180GT, registration G-BFGS, was performing a private flight when it experienced an accident during landing at Holmbeck Farm Airfield. The airfield is an unlicensed grass strip measuring 500 metres in length, featuring an upward slope at the end of Runway 29.
While on the second approach to Runway 29, the pilot maintained a nose-high attitude with full flaps at a speed of 60 knots. The wind conditions were light, originating from 220° at 10 knots. During the landing sequence, the nose of the aircraft dropped, resulting in a nosewheel-first touchdown. This initial contact was followed by a bounce. The pilot had intended to touchdown on the level portion of the runway, but the contact occurred just before this area. Following the bounce, the aircraft came to rest on its nose.
The investigation
The investigation, prompted by the pilot's accident report, examined the sequence of the landing and the mechanical state of the aircraft. The inspection revealed that the nose landing gear leg had collapsed upon impact. This failure led to secondary damage, including impacts to the propeller, engine mount, silencer, and the engine cowling. The pilot was able to exit the aircraft without assistance, and there were no injuries reported.
Findings
- The primary cause of the landing gear failure was the nosewheel-first touchdown.
- The pilot's approach attitude and the subsequent drop of the nose led to the structural failure of the gear leg.
- The pilot's assessment suggested that the aircraft may have experienced a stall during the second bounce of the landing sequence.