History of the Flight
On 20 November 2006, a student pilot was operating a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee, registration G-ZEBY, on a cross-country navigation exercise from Nottingham to Humberside Airport as part of training for a Private Pilot’s Licence. The approach to Runway 21 was described by the pilot as normal and uneventful. During landing, the aircraft touched down main wheels first. When the nosewheel contacted the runway, the aircraft pitched up sharply. The pilot attempted to hold the nose level, but the aircraft pitched down until the nosewheel struck the ground firmly. The impact caused the nosewheel to separate from the nose gear leg; the pilot observed the wheel rolling alongside the aeroplane. As the aircraft pitched down again, the nose landing gear leg scraped along the runway surface. The aircraft yawed to the right but remained on the runway and stopped. A member of the Aerodrome Fire and Rescue Service who witnessed the landing reported that the aircraft appeared to bounce three or four times.
Engineering Inspection
A maintenance organisation examined the aircraft and found the nosewheel oleo was bent and the fork to which the nosewheel is normally attached had sheared off. The engine and propeller were also damaged. The inspecting engineer noted no evidence of any pre-existing mechanical defect that might have contributed to the accident and commented that the damage was consistent with the nosewheel having made firm contact with the runway.
Discussion
The nose landing gear of most aircraft is designed to provide stability and control on the ground but is not intended to support the loads encountered on first contact with the runway during landing. The pilot’s decision to attempt to hold the nosewheel off the runway as the aircraft bounced was correct, but he may have misjudged the appropriate attitude. The pilot remarked that he may have lowered the nose while attempting to hold it level. Inexperienced pilots may find the transition from a nose-down approach attitude to the required nose-up landing attitude difficult to assess but can learn to do so with practice and the assistance of a qualified flying instructor.