What happened
On 23 August 2011, a Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, registration G-BOMO, was involved in an accident during a training flight at Swansea Airport. The aircraft, operated by a student pilot, was performing a cross-country navigation exercise, having previously completed a successful landing at Haverfordwest earlier in the flight.
While executing a standard overhead join into the circuit for Runway 10, the student pilot approached the runway. The aircraft initially appeared stable during the approach. However, upon touching down at the intersection of Runway 10 and Runway 04-22, the aircraft bounced. In an attempt to recover from the bounce, the pilot applied power, but this resulted in a second bounce. During this second touchdown, the nose landing gear collapsed.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the student pilot and additional comments provided by the flight instructor. The examination focused on the sequence of the landing and the mechanical impact on the aircraft. The investigation established that the aircraft sustained damage to the propeller and the engine was shock-loaded. Additionally, the nose landing gear failed during the impact.
Findings
- The landing sequence involved multiple bounces on the runway.
- The nose landing gear collapsed during the second touchdown.
- There were no injuries to the pilot during the event.