History of the Flight
The pilot of G-BMFZ, a Reims Cessna F152, was conducting a private flight. He made an approach to Runway 13 at Bodmin Airfield with 40° of flap selected. Just before touchdown, a strong gust of wind of approximately 20 kt came from behind the aircraft. The aircraft initially landed about a quarter of the way along the runway, then became airborne again and touched down for a second time as it passed the intersection with Runway 03/21, which was approximately halfway along the runway.
After the late touchdown, the pilot glanced at the airspeed indicator (ASI) and noticed the needle was at 0 kt. He estimated the ground speed was between 35 and 40 kt and, with no indicated airspeed, decided not to go-around. Despite braking hard, the aircraft ran off the end of the runway, down a steep slope, and onto a road. The nose landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft turned over onto its back. The pilot, who was uninjured, vacated the aircraft without assistance.
Airfield Information
Runway 13 at Bodmin Airfield is 610 m long. At the time of the accident, the grass surface was dry. Following the accident, the airfield manager inspected the runway surface and reported no evidence of heavy braking.
Weather Conditions
The air-to-ground operator at Bodmin Airfield reported that the weather conditions were good, with the wind variable at 5 kt and no significant gusts. The Met Office provided data from automatic observation equipment at Newquay Airport and Cardinham, approximately 5 km from Bodmin Airfield. At Newquay, the wind at 1220 hrs was 310°/10 kt with no gusts observed between 1020 hrs and 1250 hrs. At Cardinham, the wind at 1250 hrs was 290°/5 kt with no gusts observed between 1050 hrs and 1350 hrs. The Met Office advised that the air mass below 2,000 ft was slow moving and would have been unlikely to cause a large gust.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was a Reims Cessna F152, manufactured in 1985, with one Lycoming O-235-N2C piston engine. The ASI was marked in knots, with the first indicator mark at 35 kt and the first numerical at 40 kt. The pilot reported that the ASI read correctly throughout the flight, and neither he nor the maintenance organisation were aware of any faults on the aircraft. The aircraft sustained damage beyond economic repair.