Incident Overview
On 24 June 2022, a serious incident occurred at Piła landing field (EPPI) involving a Cessna 152, registration SP-APT, operated under the supervision of a flight instructor. The aircraft sustained damage to its nose leg and propeller, and the nose wheel detached. The student pilot was not injured.
Aircraft and Location
The aircraft involved was a Cessna 152, a single-engine aeroplane. The incident took place at the Piła landing field (EPPI) in Poland.
Sequence of Events
The student pilot was performing solo aerodrome circuit flights under the supervision of an instructor. The first three circuits were completed normally. During the fourth circuit, while executing a touch-and-go maneuver, the student was setting the flaps for the next takeoff when control of the aircraft was lost, resulting in a bounce. The supervising instructor immediately instructed the student to execute a go-around. However, the student did not react as instructed and instead pushed the control wheel forward. This action caused the propeller to strike the runway and the nose wheel to touchdown hard on the concrete surface. The aircraft came to rest with the nose wheel detached and damage to the nose landing gear leg and propeller.
Cause and Contributing Factors
The cause of the incident was the student's improper reaction to the aircraft bounce—specifically, pushing the control wheel forward—and a hard touchdown on the nose wheel. A contributing factor was the student's low flight experience.
Safety Actions
The aircraft operator proposed several preventive measures, which were accepted by the State Commission on Aircraft Accidents Investigation: the incident was discussed in detail with the student, with emphasis on bounce correction techniques; the incident will be discussed with other trainees on an ongoing basis; and the circumstances, causes, and response techniques to abnormal landing situations will be addressed during the organization's annual safety meeting. No additional safety recommendations were formulated.