Accident to the Socata TB9 registered G-BIBA on 29/05/2022 at Le Touquet

This is a courtesy translation by the BEA of the Final Report on the Safety Investigation published in August 2022. As accurate as the translation may be, the original text in French is the work of reference (December 2022).

Note: the following information is principally based on statements made by the pilot. This information has not been independently validated by the BEA.

1. History of the flight

The pilot took off from Rouen-Vallée de Seine airport at 11:30 for Le Touquet-Côte d'Opale airport. The flight was uneventful, with the pilot avoiding rain showers near the coast.

On the approach to Le Touquet airport, the pilot was cleared to join the left-hand downwind leg for runway 31 and then to land. After the aeroplane’s main landing gear touched down, the pilot lowered the aeroplane’s nose. The nose wheel came into contact with the ground and the nose of the aeroplane dropped beyond the normal neutral position. The pilot thought the nose wheel tyre was punctured and left the runway by taking the first available taxiway. He heard grinding noises and asked the controller for clearance to stop on the taxiway to check the aeroplane. The pilot then noticed that the nose gear was damaged. The hinge pin between the nose wheel and the mount attached to the bulkhead was broken.

Figure 1: ruptured nose gear of G-BIBA (Source: pilot)

Figure 2: TB9 nose gear attachment (Source: Socata parts catalogue)

2. Additional information

The 68-year-old pilot, holder of a PPL(A) aeroplane licence, had logged 1,360 flight hours, including 1,200 h on type and 15 h in the previous three months, all on type.

The weather conditions estimated by the pilot were as follows: wind from 350° of 10 kt, visibility greater than 10 km, a few clouds based at 2,300 ft.