What happened
On 17 April 1998, a Piper PA-28-180, registration G-AVNO, was conducting a private flight from Shoreham, Sussex, to Southend Airport, Essex. The weather conditions at the destination featured an overcast cloud layer at 3,000 feet, good visibility, and surface winds from 340 degrees at 15 knots.
While performing a standard approach to Runway 06, the aircraft encountered turbulence during the flare phase of the landing. This turbulence caused the nosewheel to strike the runway surface with significant force, resulting in a burst tyre on the nosewheel.
There were two persons on board the aircraft, and no injuries were reported following the incident. The aircraft sustained damage limited to the nosewheel assembly.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators reviewed the flight circumstances and the pilot's experience levels. At the time of the occurrence, the pilot held a Private Pilot's Licence and had a total of 64 flying hours, only 3 of which had been completed on this specific aircraft type. Furthermore, the pilot had logged only 3 hours of flight time in the preceding 28 and 90-day periods.