Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee, G-AYAR, 12 March 2013
Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee, G-AYAR
Summary:
The pilot was carrying out a VFR flight from Southend Airport to Exeter Airport. He had downloaded the weather from the internet which indicated good visibility and a high, scattered cloud base with strong, blustery winds from the north-east. The transit to Exeter was uneventful with occasional turbulence and the aircraft was established on the final approach at about 70 kt IAS for Runway 08, with full flap selected. The 1320 hrs METAR gave the surface wind as 030°/18 gusting 28 kt. The pilot rounded out normally and the main wheels touched down but as the nosewheel touched down, the aircraft bounced several times and the nose landing gear collapsed. The aircraft veered to the right and departed the runway, coming to rest on the grass. The pilot isolated the fuel and the electrical system before exiting through the normal door.
The pilot considered that he had probably been a little fast on the approach which led to a fast touchdown. As the aircraft bounced, he had allowed a Pilot Induced Oscillation (PIO) to develop, which had caused the damage to the nose landing gear. He felt he should have initiated a go-around when the aircraft first bounced.
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