AAIB investigation to Vans RV-7A, G-ELVN 21 May 2019
Bird strike and loss of control during landing, Drayton St Leonard Airfield, Oxfordshire, 21 May 2019.
Summary:
The pilot reported that as he was about to land on grass Runway 24, the aircraft struck a medium sized bird at a height of approximately 20 ft agl. This surprised the pilot who momentarily pitched the aircraft up and to the left, before adjusting the aircraft’s flightpath back towards the runway centreline to land with about 300 m of runway remaining. When the aircraft touched down it bounced and became airborne. The pilot decided to land rather than go around, due to the possibility that the aircraft may have sustained damage from the bird strike. The aircraft subsequently touched down heavily on the nose gear which collapsed. The aircraft came to a stop and the pilot vacated the aircraft unaided.
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