Plane gets into difficulty while landing at Norfolk airfield
A plane got into difficulty while landing at Old Buckenham Airfield in Norfolk - Credit: Google Maps
A private plane got into difficulty while landing at a Norfolk airfield after its front wheel began to vibrate "violently".
The pilot was landing his Piper PA-28-236 plane at Old Buckenham Airfield at 1pm on Sunday, February 27, when he was forced to steer against a strong crosswind gust.
An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said that after he did so a "violent nosewheel shimmy" started, which made the plane "virtually uncontrollable".
A nosewheel shimmy is when the front wheel of a plane vibrates and shakes.
It is believed a foreign object caused the incident, which eased when the plane slowed to 20 knots allowing it to land safely.
An examination of the aircraft found the rudder had been damaged and the nosewheel tyre sidewall had also been severely damaged.
The report stated that the sidewall tyre damage appeared to have been caused by a stone getting trapped between the wheel spat and the tyre.
Most Read
- 1 'London girl' transforms her Norfolk home into the ultimate retreat
- 2 Extra speed check camera vans to target Norfolk's 'village speeders'
- 3 Five-vehicle crash causes delays on A47
- 4 'Fierce' fire rips through two homes in west Norfolk village
- 5 'Tesla-like' robot hub set for Norfolk former RAF base
- 6 WATCH: Moment teen pulls BB gun on shopkeeper
- 7 Coastwatch volunteer encourages public to stay on the lookout for body parts
- 8 Dentist staff working round the clock to address 'enforcement action'
- 9 Hunt for Dotty the barn owl as 'devastated' owners fear she won't survive
- 10 Taco Bell set to open in McDonald's former town centre premises
Following the incident, the AAIB and the Civil Aviation Authority recommended pilots read the ‘Safety Sense Leaflet 12 - Strip Flying’ and reminded owners of aircraft fitted with wheel spats to "take account of ground conditions and to "take care to ensure wheel spats are clear of contamination".
