Bounce and Nose Gear Deformation During Landing of a Robin DR 400-180 (F-GRIP)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On 14 August 2014, at approximately 12:30 local time, a Robin DR 400-180 aircraft, registration F-GRIP, operated by a club, experienced an accident during landing at Lille Marcq-en-Barœul aerodrome in France. The flight was a local general aviation flight for personal convenience, carrying the pilot and three passengers, including two children aged 6 and 10 in the rear seats. The only reported damage was deformation of the nose landing gear. ## Flight Sequence and Pilot Actions The pilot departed from Lille Marcq-en-Barœul for a local flight. During the flight, the pilot reported that air/ground radio communications quality degraded, leading to a decision to shorten the flight. The aircraft entered the traffic pattern to land on runway 26, a grass runway measuring 838 m by 50 m, adjacent to a glider runway. During landing, the aircraft bounced. The pilot pushed forward on the control stick, causing the aircraft to contact the runway on the nose gear, which bent. ## Pilot Background and Testimony The pilot was 62 years old and held a private pilot license obtained in September 2013. At the time of the accident, he had 38 hours of flight time since obtaining his license, for a total of 128 hours. All his flight hours were on the DR 400, including 6 hours on the DR 400-180. He had flown 14 hours in the three months preceding the accident. During training, he had experienced bounces during landing, though with smaller amplitudes. The pilot stated that his final approach trajectory was stabilized and that he had deployed full flaps. However, he had chosen a final approach speed of 150 km/h instead of the 125 km/h recommended by the flight manual. He explained that he had developed this habit during his participation in the Breitling Cup, a competition involving 100 touch-and-go landings at different airfields within 24 hours, where he would immediately apply full throttle after the main wheels touched down. The pilot also noted that the children in the rear seats were agitated and talking constantly during the final approach, which he said disturbed him. ## Meteorological Conditions The METAR from Lille-Lesquin aerodrome, located 14 km away, indicated at 12:30 a variable wind between 240° and 340° at 4 kt, rain, and scattered clouds at 2,300 ft. The pilot stated that the rain had stopped and estimated the wind to be approximately headwind for runway 26 at about 10 kt. ## Safety Lessons and Conclusion The excessive final approach speed increased the energy to be absorbed during the flare, favoring a bounce if the aircraft touched down with a high speed. The habit of approaching at 150 km/h may have given the pilot excessive confidence in his ability to land with a speed 25 km/h too high. The agitation of the children in the rear seats may have disturbed the pilot during the final approach. Preparing passengers, regardless of age, for critical flight phases can help the pilot maintain a good safety level in the aircraft. During the bounce, the pilot's forward push action caused the nose gear to contact the runway and deform. When an aircraft bounces after landing, it is useful to consider a go-around. If the bounce is small, it is possible to gently accompany the second flare without a forward push action, using a little power if necessary, with a go-around always remaining an option. However, managing the second flare can be delicate.