AAIB investigation to Zenair CH 601HD Zodiac, G-OANN
Following a late touchdown, aircraft ran off end of runway at Manchester (Barton) City Airport, 15 June 2015.
Summary:
Following an uneventful flight from Headcorn the aircraft made an approach to Runway 27L at Barton; ATC informed the pilot that there was a slight tailwind component. The pilot reported that the aircraft touched down approximately halfway along the runway, at a speed of around 45 kt, although the groundspeed was probably around 50 kt. The surface was bumpy and it took some time for the pilot to slow the aircraft. As the aircraft passed over the numbers at the far end of the runway, at a speed of 10-15 kt, the nose landing gear bungee broke. This caused the nose of the aircraft to dip such that the propeller contacted the ground, breaking off one of the three blades. The aircraft came to a halt shortly afterwards. There were no injuries and the airfield staff assisted in moving the aircraft to the side of the runway.
The pilot considered that the bungee failure occurred due to the aircraft’s excessive speed over a bumpy surface, following a late touchdown with a tailwind component.
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