Accident Details
On 30 May 1969, a Piper PA-28-160 Cherokee, registration HB-OVH, was involved in an accident at Geneva Airport (now Geneva International Airport). The aircraft had completed a flight of 4 hours and 7 minutes from Genoa, Italy.
Approach and Landing
During the approach to the main runway 23, the pilot was too high. To correct this, the pilot increased the rate of descent but subsequently failed to execute a proper flare (arrondi). The aircraft made hard contact with the runway surface, bounced, and then fell back onto the nose wheel. The impact caused the nose wheel fork to break.
Occupants and Damage
All three occupants of the aircraft were uninjured. The aircraft itself sustained minor damage as a result of the hard landing and nose gear failure.
Investigation
The accident was investigated by the Swiss Federal Commission for Aircraft Accident Investigation. The final report was approved on 12 May 1970, and the investigation determined that the pilot's approach was too high, leading to an increased rate of descent and a missed flare, resulting in a hard landing and subsequent nose gear failure.