What happened
On October 13, 2008, a Cessna 182T, registration PH-PGW, was performing an overland flight from Rotterdam Airport to Midden-Zeeland Airport (EHMZ). During the final approach to runway 27, the pilot was flying at approximately 80 knots, which was higher than the 70-knot target speed for a full-flaps configuration.
The aircraft made an initial hard impact with the runway, causing it to bounce back into the air. In an attempt to force the aircraft back to the ground, the pilot applied forward pressure on the controls, which resulted in a second hard landing and another bounce. Upon the third contact, the nose gear struck the ground with enough force to break away from the airframe. This caused the nose to dip sharply, leading the propeller to strike the ground and the aircraft to roll forward onto its nose.
The investigation
The investigation, based on the pilot's statements and reports from the National Police Aviation Service, established that the aircraft was airworthy and the pilot held valid licenses and medical certification. While the pilot noted slightly low tire pressure and some rust on the nose gear strut during the pre-flight inspection, these factors were not determined to be contributors to the accident.
Weather conditions at the time were favorable for visual flight rules, with visibility exceeding ten kilometers and light winds from the southwest at approximately 7 knots.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was an improperly executed landing sequence.
- The pilot failed to initiate a go-around after the initial hard landing and subsequent bounce.
- Excessive approach speed contributed to the severity of the initial impact.
- The physical failure of the nose gear was a direct result of the repeated high-energy impacts with the runway surface.