What happened
On the evening of August 16, 2018, a privately operated Aerostyle Breezer, registration HB-YLP, was performing a VFR flight from Fricktal-Schupfart to Lommis. During the landing phase on the grass runway 06, the aircraft touched down at an excessive speed. After encountering a bump on the runway, the aircraft bounced and subsequently made a second, much harder impact with the ground.
Upon hearing an unusual noise, the pilot initiated a go-around, suspecting damage to the main landing gear. To assess the situation, the pilot performed two low-altitude flypasts to allow ground personnel to inspect the aircraft. Observers on the ground identified that the nose gear had already buckled backward.
Following coordination with the ground crew, who prepared fire extinguishers and rescue equipment, the pilot executed a landing with the engine shut down. The pilot attempted to keep the nose elevated by pulling back on the elevator; however, toward the end of the landing roll, the nose gear made contact with the ground and dug into the turf for approximately 10 meters. This caused the nose gear to collapse completely. The aircraft sustained heavy damage to the fuselage underside, engine mount, firewall, and propeller. The two occupants of the aircraft escaped with minor injuries.
The investigation
SUST examined flight data from a tablet-based navigation software carried on board. The investigation established that the average ground speed during the final approach was approximately 67 knots, with the speed in the final 10 seconds before the initial touchdown being 65 knots. While this approach speed was consistent with standard procedures, the aircraft's touchdown speed was significantly higher than the recommended 54 knots (100 km/h).
Findings
- The primary cause of the gear failure was an excessive touchdown speed that prevented a proper flare.
- The high speed caused the aircraft to bounce after hitting a bump on the grass runway, leading to the second hard impact.
- The pilot's decision to perform a go-around after the initial hard impact introduced additional risks by continuing flight with a damaged airframe.
- A previous incident involving the same aircraft (HB-YLP) in June 2014 involved a nearly identical sequence of events involving nose gear collapse.