History of the flight
The pilot, accompanied by two passengers, had flown to France from Lydd Airport to visit two rural landing sites before returning via Le Touquet. The flights were uneventful. On return, the aircraft was positioned on long finals for Runway 22. The surface wind at Lydd was 240°/21 kt with gusts and a crosswind from the right, conditions typical of the pilot's earlier landings that day.
Runway 22 was undergoing resurfacing. The displaced threshold was marked by a barrier board across the runway; a short distance beyond, a row of large motorway maintenance cones also crossed the runway. No PAPI lights were available due to the work. At about 2 nm from touchdown, gusting wind produced significant turbulence.
The pilot selected two stages of flap instead of the usual three and increased approach speed from 75 kt to 80 kt to compensate for gusts. He chose an aiming point on the runway sufficiently beyond the cones to clear them while ensuring adequate landing distance remained. After crossing the barrier board, the pilot flared and reduced power as normal, but the wind speed seemed to drop and the aircraft sank rapidly, earlier than desired. The aircraft became unstable; the pilot applied power, which stabilized it, and the aircraft touched down normally. After landing, the pilot taxied to parking.
Aircraft examination
The underside of the aircraft had struck the cones, but the pilot and passengers were not aware of the impact and did not see any damage during the post-flight inspection. A person in the tower who observed the incident reported it to the flying group, and damage was discovered on further examination. The nature of damage was skin panel damage on the underside of the fuselage and port wing.
Conclusion
The pilot considered that the sudden drop in wind had contributed to the rapid sink, which caused the aircraft to undershoot the intended touchdown point and contact the cones.