What happened
The incident occurred during a training flight involving a fourth touch-and-go landing. As the student pilot initiated a go-around procedure, power was applied to the engine. However, the pilot did not apply the necessary right rudder pedal input to counteract the left-turning tendency inherent in the aircraft's design.
Without this correction, the airplane began to veer toward the left side of the runway. The aircraft departed the paved surface and continued off the left edge. During this excursion, the nose landing gear collapsed under the stress of the uneven terrain. Following the collapse, the airplane nosed over before coming to a final rest.
The investigation
The examination focused on the pilot's actions during the go-around phase. Evidence indicated that while power was correctly applied, directional control inputs were insufficient. Specifically, the lack of right rudder application allowed the left-turning tendency to dominate the aircraft's heading.
Findings
- Failure to apply right rudder pedal during go-around
- Left turning tendency not counteracted
- Nose landing gear collapse due to off-runway excursion