What happened
On 17 May 1999, a Piper PA-38-112, registration G-BOMO, was engaged in a private training flight at Welshpool Airport, Powys. The pilot, a student with 16 total flying hours, was performing his second solo consolidation flight. During the third solo circuit on Runway 04, the aircraft experienced a bounce upon touchdown. This was followed by two subsequent bounces on the runway surface.
In an attempt to recover, the pilot applied power to initiate a go-around procedure. However, during this maneuver, the nose landing gear collapsed. The aircraft subsequently veered off the left side of the 18-metre wide runway and came to a rest in a nose-down position on the grass within the airfield perimeter. There were no injuries to the pilot, and the aircraft sustained damage to the propeller, cowling, engine mounting frame, and nose landing gear.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the accident report submitted by the pilot. The inquiry focused on the sequence of landing attempts and the pilot's decision-making process regarding the go-around. The investigation established that the pilot had previously completed a successful dual check flight with an instructor prior to this solo session. The pilot noted that his decision to attempt a go-around was made late, which contributed to the loss of directional control on the narrow runway.