What happened
On 16 October 2009, a Reims Cessna F152, registration G-BJKY, was conducting a solo cross-country navigation and landing exercise. The student pilot was flying a route originating from Blackpool, with planned stops at Hawarden and Caernarfon before returning to the starting point. Following a successful landing at Hawarden, the aircraft proceeded to Caernarfon Airport.
During the approach to Runway 02, the aircraft encountered a surface wind of 17 knots from 040 degrees. The initial touchdown on the asphalt surface was heavy, causing the aircraft to bounce back into the air. The pilot attempted to manage the situation by holding the control column back, but a second bounce occurred, resulting in a nose-high attitude. In an effort to maintain visibility of the runway ahead, the pilot reduced back pressure on the controls. This caused the aircraft to pitch down, leading to a touchdown on the nosewheel. The impact caused the nose landing gear to collapse, and the aircraft slid along the runway before coming to rest on its nose and starboard wheel. There were no injuries to the pilot, and no fire was reported.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the sequence of the landing and the aircraft's mechanical response to the heavy touchdown. The inspection of the aircraft revealed damage to the propeller, firewall, lower fuselage, starboard wing, and the nose landing gear.