Accident Overview
On June 10, 2013, at approximately 0800 central daylight time, a Cessna 150K (registration N6412G) nosed over and impacted terrain during landing on runway 27 at Morrilton Municipal Airport (BDQ), Morrilton, Arkansas. The airplane veered off the left side of the runway while the student pilot was attempting a touch-and-go landing during her first solo flight. The flight instructor had directed the student to perform touch-and-go landings instead of full-stop landings. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage, and the student pilot received minor injuries.
Flight Details
The airplane was registered to and operated by the flight instructor under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight not operating on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, which originated from BDQ at about 0730. The student pilot had studied Gleim FAA Test Preparation since her first flight and believed that her flight instructor's "diligent" training, along with the Gleim material, prepared her for her first solo.
Student Pilot Account
During a telephone interview, the student pilot stated that her flight instructor told her to perform touch-and-go landings for her first solo. She completed one touch-and-go landing, and her flight instructor radioed that the landing was "great." On the second touch-and-go attempt, the accident occurred. The student pilot did not remember if her instructor was talking to her over the radio during the landing rollout. She reported never losing consciousness and could not recall the accident sequence. She sustained a black eye, a bloody nose, and injuries to the left side of her face but no broken bones. The airplane was not equipped with a shoulder harness. She said her flight instructor had ensured the airplane was in good condition.
The student pilot stated she would continue flying and wanted to continue lessons with the same instructor, whom she described as "great." She noted that the instructor's other students were "happy" with the instruction. When asked about maneuvers performed during training, she could not name them but recalled two stalls (one a "major stall"), a simulated engine-out, and go-arounds (after the term was described). She had not performed ground reference maneuvers and did not know what they were. Emergency procedures were only discussed, not practiced.
Flight Instructor Account
The flight instructor stated that after the first landing, he used a portable radio to tell the student that the second landing was "perfect" and to perform one final landing. The student acknowledged, then the airplane veered off the left side of the runway.
Aircraft Examination
Examination by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the airplane had nosed over. The flaps were fully retracted, and flight control continuity was confirmed.
Training Background
According to The Flight Instructor's Manual, Third Edition, by William K. Kershner, on shooting takeoffs and solos, it states, in part, "Never have the student shoot touch-and-go's on the first solo."
A review of the student pilot's logbook showed 14 entries from May 13, 2013, to June 10, 2013, totaling 12.5 flight hours excluding the accident flight. The fifth entry dated May 18, 2013, was the first to cite takeoffs and landings. The logbook did not cite all pre-solo maneuvers required under Part 61.87, including ground reference maneuvers, emergency procedures, go-arounds, and others.
The FAA inspector noted that the student pilot was not certificated; she had only applied for and received a medical certificate, and a student pilot certificate was not issued. The flight instructor endorsed the back of the medical certificate for the solo flight.
The flight instructor renewed his flight instructor certificate after attending a 2-day flight instructor refresher clinic in February 2013. His pilot logbook showed no entries complying with Part 61.57 for three takeoffs and landings in the previous 90 days. The instructor could not produce a flight instructor logbook. He reported 27,110 hours of total flight time. In the last two years, he endorsed three airmen for pilot certificate examinations, all of whom passed; however, the designated pilot examiner (DPE) involved became inactive on July 24, 2012, and the DPE's pass rate could not be determined.