What happened
During a solo training flight at FAWB, a CESSNA 172 N, registered as ZS-MDX, experienced a structural failure during its fourth landing attempt. The student pilot, who was performing circuit and landing maneuvers, executed a landing that was excessively heavy on the nose gear. This impact caused the nose wheel to disintegrate upon contact with the runway. The force of the landing also resulted in damage to the firewall and the nose gear attachment bracket.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the wreckage and the aircraft's maintenance history. The investigation confirmed that the aircraft was being maintained according to prescribed intervals; the next maintenance inspection was not due for several weeks, and the aircraft had only flown 6tp67 hours since its last major inspection. The student pilot's training records indicated satisfactory progress, with no abnormalities noted in his training file. Furthermore, a detailed examination of the nose wheel hub revealed no signs of corrosion or fatigue that could have contributed to the component's failure.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was a hard landing on the nose wheel.
- The student pilot had limited solo experience, with only 1.9 solo hours accumulated at the time of the accident.
- There was no evidence of mechanical failure due to wear, fatigue, or lack of maintenance.