What happened
On 28 September 2011, a Quik GT450, registration G-TPAL, was conducting a private flight at East Fortune Airfield in East Lothian. During the final approach, the aircraft encountered windshear, which caused the aircraft to descend rapidly from an altitude of roughly 20 feet. Despite the application of full power, the pilot could not stop the rapid rate of descent. As a result, the aircraft made a heavy landing, striking the ground nosewheel first and subsequently bouncing.
While the second touchdown was performed in a normal attitude, the impact caused the nosewheel assembly to collapse during the subsequent ground roll. The aircraft sustained damage to the nosewheel, the pod, and the keel tube. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger.
The investigation
Following the incident, the AAIB examined the circumstances surrounding the landing. The investigation noted that the wind direction at the time was fluctuating between 180° and 230°, with sustained speeds of 15 knots and gusts reaching 20 knots. The pilot reviewed the event with instructors at the airfield to evaluate the flight dynamics during the encounter.