What happened
On 17 February 2001, a Rans S6-ESD XL, registration G-MZFL, was conducting a private local flight when it experienced an incident during landing at Eshott Airfield in Northumberland. The weather conditions at the time were favorable, characterized by good visibility and a light southwesterly wind.
Upon returning to the airfield approximately 45 minutes after departure, the pilot utilized Runway 19. This runway consists of an asphalt surface measuring 610 metres in length and 45 metres in width. Due to grass growing through an uneven center section of the runway, pilots typically avoid the centerline during operations. During the landing sequence, the pilot performed a normal approach but landed directly on the centerline. Immediately following touchdown, the aircraft struck a bump in the runway surface. This impact caused the nose to lift momentarily before the nosewheel struck the ground again, resulting in a nosewheel collapse.
The impact caused damage to the propeller tips, the nose gear, and the starboard wingtip. There were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The inquiry examined the runway conditions and the pilot's flight path during the flare and touchdown. It was noted that while the pilot had anticipated a slight drift that would have moved the aircraft away from the centerline during the flare, the aircraft remained on the centerline throughout the landing process.