What happened
On 15 November 1998, a Piper PA-28-140, registration G-AZWD, was performing a private flight when it encountered difficulties during the landing phase at Cardiff Airport, Wales. While attempting to land on Runway 30 under a surface wind of 320°/11 kt, the aircraft experienced a rapid sink rate. The aircraft initially touched down on all three wheels but subsequently bounced.
Following this initial contact, the aircraft struck the runway again in a nose-down attitude, causing a second bounce. During this second impact, a significant amount of smoke was observed emanating from the nosewheel area. The pilot subsequently initiated a go-around procedure, which was completed without further incident. However, upon returning to the airfield and lowering the nosewheel for a subsequent landing, the pilot identified an issue with the landing gear. The aircraft was brought to a halt on the runway, and the engine was shut down.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft following the event revealed that the nosewheel tyre had burst during the sequence of bounces. The investigation established that the impact resulted in substantial damage to the nose landing gear and the propeller.