Aircraft and Crew
The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-38-112, registration G-BOMO, manufactured in 1981. It was powered by a single Lycoming O-235-L2C piston engine. The pilot, a 33-year-old student, held a student pilot licence and had a total of 16 hours flying experience, of which 14 were on type. His recent flying included 14 hours in the last 90 days, all within the last 28 days.
Accident Details
On 17 May 1999 at 1025 hours UTC, the student pilot was conducting his second solo consolidation flight at Welshpool Airport, Powys, having previously completed a dual check flight with an instructor. The accident occurred during the third solo circuit on Runway 04, which is 18 metres wide.
During the landing, the aircraft bounced, then bounced on two further occasions before departing the runway to the left side. The pilot applied power to initiate a go-around, but the nose landing gear collapsed before the aircraft became airborne.
Aftermath
The aircraft came to rest in a nose-down attitude on the grass within the airfield boundary. The pilot vacated the aircraft through the left-hand door. Damage was sustained to the nose landing gear, engine mounting frame, cowling, and propeller.
The student pilot commented that his late go-around decision had resulted in the loss of directional control on the relatively narrow runway.