Accident Summary
On Friday, 11 February 2022, at approximately 0825Z, a Cessna 172M aircraft with registration ZS-SLY was conducting circuit training at Wonderboom Aerodrome (FAWB), Gauteng Province. The flight was a training flight under Part 141. Fine weather conditions prevailed at the time of flight with a light surface wind at 8 knots (kts) and temperature at 27°C.
Sequence of Events
A flight instructor and a student pilot (SP) on board were cleared by air traffic control (ATC) for take-off on Runway (RWY) 11 to conduct circuit training. The flight crew completed three touch-and-go circuits; thereafter, the instructor disembarked the aircraft to allow the SP to conduct a solo consolidation flight. After receiving clearance from ATC, the SP took off from RWY 11 and completed the first circuit uneventfully. During the second circuit landing, the SP stated that the aircraft ballooned and landed hard on its nose gear, thereafter, it bounced before coming to a halt on the runway.
Aircraft Damage
The aircraft sustained substantial damages. Post-accident examination revealed that the nose gear oleo stop bolt had sheared at the top of the nose gear oleo and the engine firewall had buckled. All damage was attributable to the impact forces exerted to the firewall and nose landing gear because of the hard landing. The aircraft's flight folio indicated no outstanding defects related to steering control or braking mechanism prior to the accident. The last mandatory periodic inspection was carried out on 11 August 2021, and the aircraft had accumulated 90.4 hours since then.
Probable Cause
The probable cause was that the aircraft speed was high on approach, resulting in the aircraft ballooning before it landed with the nose gear first, which subsequently broke off. A contributing factor was the student pilot's lack of experience.