What happened
On 19 September 2004, a Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee, registration G-NINC, was conducting a private flight at Old Buckenham Airfield in Norfolk. Following a local area flight, the pilot intended to perform several touch-and-go landings on the grass runway 25. The weather at the time was fair, with winds from 220 degrees at 10 knots.
During the initial approach, the pilot maintained a speed of 80 mph with full flaps. While the approach speed and angle were appropriate, the pilot initiated the flare slightly late, resulting in a three-point touchdown. An attempt to manage the subsequent bounce led to a second touchdown, during which the pilot noted they were over-controlling the aircraft, leading to pilot-induced oscillations. A third, more intense bounce occurred, causing the aircraft to strike the ground heavily in a nose-down attitude. This impact resulted in a bent nose landing gear leg, damage to the engine mounting and engine bay bulkhead, and a shock-loaded engine. The propeller also struck the ground during the event. The pilot escaped the aircraft without any injuries.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot and subsequent telephone interviews. Investigators examined the sequence of the landing attempts and the mechanical damage sustained by the G-NINC airframe, specifically focusing on the impact of the nose-down touchdown.