Event
On 31 March 2018, at approximately 18:05 local time, a Tecnam P2008-JC aircraft registered YR-LMP was conducting touch-and-go landings at Șirna airfield in Prahova County, Romania. The pilot, a 30-year-old male with 160 flight hours, and one passenger were on board. During the final approach of the last lap, the pilot aligned with runway 25. The approach was normal until the flare, when the pilot—having the sun in front—misjudged the recovery altitude. The flare was executed high, about 2.5 to 3 meters (9.84 feet) above the ground, causing the airspeed to decrease. The aircraft reached a critical angle of attack and made hard contact with the grassy runway, first with the main landing gear and then with the nose landing gear.
Damage and Injuries
The soft runway surface caused the nose landing gear to sink approximately 20 centimeters into the ground, leading it to fold beneath the aircraft. During the subsequent rollout of about 30 meters, the wheel fairing was destroyed, the engine bottom cowling and underside of the fuselage were damaged, and one propeller blade broke. The aircraft came to a stop at 44°47'6.368"N, 025°59'13.562"E. Neither the pilot nor the passenger reported any injuries.
Aircraft Information
The Tecnam P2008-JC (serial number 1077, manufactured 2017) is a two-seat, high-wing aircraft with a Rotax 912S2 engine and tricycle landing gear. It had accumulated approximately 100 flight hours at the time of the accident.
Investigation
The investigation analyzed data from the onboard Garmin equipment. On the final 0.5 nautical miles, the aircraft's speed decreased from 68 knots to 44 knots at the completion of the flare, with contact occurring at 41.6 knots—below the stall speed of 44 knots. The altitude dropped from 680 feet MSL to 561 feet MSL at the end of the flare, and contact occurred at 556 feet MSL. Meteorological conditions (wind 300°/4 kt, temperature 22°C, CAVOK) were not considered contributory. The sun's azimuth at 18:05 LT was 217°, and the landing direction was 250°, placing the sun in front-left of the pilot, which may have influenced altitude perception. The engine was running at impact.
Cause
The cause of the accident was the failure to perform corrective maneuvers (applying forward stick and increasing engine power) to address the high recovery, which resulted in a hard landing with the aircraft losing height rapidly from 2.5–3 meters above the ground. The soft runway surface was a favoring factor, as it allowed the nose landing gear to sink at the moment of hard contact.