What happened
On 9 October 2021, a student pilot was conducting solo circuit-and-landing exercises at Wonderboom Aerodrome (FAWB) under Part 141 training regulations. The flight followed an initial session where the student had flown with an instructor without incident. After dropping the instructor at the flying school, the student proceeded to Runway 29 to perform solo maneuvers.
After completing five successful circuits, the student attempted a sixth landing. During the landing roll, the Piper 28-180, registration ZS-CBB, made contact with the runway on its main wheels. As the nose wheel touched the surface, the aircraft veered toward the left side of the runway. The momentum caused the nose gear to break off, and the aircraft eventually came to a stop on the grass near the intersection of Runway 24 and 29. There were no injuries to the student pilot, though the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The investigation
An inspection of the aircraft by a maintenance organization identified extensive structural damage. The findings included a damaged propeller, a cracked engine cradle, and a broken nose gear oleo tube. Further damage was noted on the right-side wing ribs, the right-side main gear trunnion, and both main landing gear axles. The engine was also flagged for a shock load inspection.
At the time of the accident, the aircraft was within its maintenance interval, having flown only 8.7 hours since its last service. The aircraft held a valid Certificate of Airworthiness.
Findings
The investigation established that the aircraft likely experienced an unstable approach, which led to a hard landing and a subsequent bounce. This sequence of events caused the pilot to lose directional control, resulting in the aircraft veering off the runway and the subsequent failure of the nose gear.