What happened
On 9 September 2006, a Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, registration G-LFSD, was conducting a training flight at Hawarden Airport, North Wales. The flight was intended to consist of several circuits involving touch-and-go landings on Runway 23, with winds recorded at 160 degrees and 13 knots.
During the third or fourth circuit, the aircraft encountered a downdraft. While the student pilot managed to maintain the approach path by increasing power, the resulting touchdown was significantly heavier than a standard landing. Following this impact, the aircraft climbed away and continued the circuit without any unusual vibrations, sounds, or steering issues.
During a subsequent planned touch-and-go, the nose landing gear collapsed upon touchdown. This caused the aircraft to skid on its nose, leading the propeller to strike the runway surface. There were no injuries to the two crew members on board, and both were able to exit the aircraft without difficulty.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of landings and the mechanical state of the aircraft. It was established that the aircraft's nose landing gear failed due to structural damage sustained during the previous heavy landing caused by the downdraft. The crew noted that the aircraft had responded normally to steering inputs immediately following the heavy impact, which likely masked the underlying damage until the subsequent landing attempt.