What happened
On 19 March 2011, a Piper PA-25-260 Pawnee, registration G-DSGC, was performing a private flight at North Hill Airfield, Devon. The pilot had recently finished the fifth aerotow of the day and was maneuvering to land on Runway 26.
During the flare, the pilot experienced a sensation of stalling and responded by increasing throttle to manage the descent rate. Upon touchdown, the aircraft bounced before making a heavy landing in a wings-level attitude. Following the impact, the pilot exited the aircraft and found that the right main landing gear strut had been displaced to one side. The pilot was able to taxi the aircraft away from the landing strip without further incident.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The examination focused on the sequence of the landing and the physical state of the landing gear following the heavy touchdown.