What happened
During a solo instructional flight intended for practicing touch-and-go maneuvers, the student pilot encountered a loss of control following a hard landing. After the aircraft touched down with excessive force, it bounced back into the air before settling again. Instead of applying the necessary remedial action to abort the landing or maintain control, the pilot allowed the aircraft to continue porpoising along the runway surface.
The uncontrolled bouncing caused structural stress that eventually led to the collapse of the nose gear. With the front landing gear no longer supporting the weight of the aircraft, it skidded forward until coming to a complete stop. This incident occurred during the student pilot's third solo flight, highlighting the critical importance of proper technique and immediate corrective action during challenging landing scenarios.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the loss of control and the subsequent structural failure. Examination confirmed that the primary issue was the hard initial touchdown which resulted in a bounce. The lack of timely remedial action by the pilot allowed the aircraft to porpoise, exacerbating the impact forces on the landing gear system.
Findings
- Loss of control due to failure to perform remedial action after a hard landing bounce.
- Nose gear collapse resulting from repeated impacts during the porpoising motion.
- The event occurred during a solo instructional flight for touch-and-go practice.
- This was the student pilot's third solo flight, indicating limited independent experience at the time of the incident.