Incident Overview
On 13 February 2018, a private recreational flight involving a Sling 2 aircraft (registration ZU-IFA) ended with substantial damage after an abnormal landing at Morningstar airfield. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured.
Flight Details
The pilot, a Private Pilot Licence holder with approximately 349.3 total flying hours (175.6 hours on type), departed Morningstar at 0610Z for a local flight. After 40 minutes, he returned for landing. Weather conditions were favourable: wind from SSE at 5–7 knots, visibility CAVOK.
Landing Sequence
During the landing flare, while close to the runway surface, the aircraft suddenly lost height and dropped onto the runway. It then bounced. With forward speed low, the pilot lowered the nose in an attempt to re-establish contact. The nose gear struck the runway hard, bent backward, causing the nose to drop and the propeller to strike the surface. This resulted in damage to the nose gear and propeller blades.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of height. The pilot's handling technique during the attempted recovery contributed to the nose gear damage.
Probable Cause
The aircraft experienced a sudden loss of height, in an attempt to recover the pilot’s handling technique of the aircraft landing contributed to the nose gear damage.
References
Extracts from the Air Pilot's Manual Volume 1 describe common landing faults such as bouncing and note that pushing the nose down after a bounce can lead to nose wheel damage or destruction.