What happened
On January 17, 2022, a student pilot prepared for a solo VFR instructional flight at Cascais Airport (LPCS), Portugal. During the take-off roll on runway 35, the pilot rotated at an indicated airspeed of approximately 55 knots. At this stage, the student pilot perceived that the Cessna 152, registration CS-EBE, was struggling to gain altitude. In response, the pilot aborted the take-off by reducing engine power while attempting to maintain the aircraft on the runway.
During the aborted maneuver, the aircraft initially touched down on the grass to the left of runway 35. The aircraft then returned to the air, resulting in a subsequent hard landing at the intersection of taxiway “J”. This impact caused the nose gear support structure to fail. The aircraft came to a stop on the runway edge, just north of the taxiway intersection. There were no injuries to the student pilot.
The investigation
The GPIAAF investigation examined the flight preparation, aircraft configuration, and the mechanical state of the cabin equipment. The investigation established that the aircraft was found with the flaps in the retracted (0°) position, despite the operator's standard procedure for take-off being a 10° configuration.
Furthermore, the investigation found that the fire extinguisher had become detached from its bracket during the collision. The bracket was found to be unsuitable for the specific extinguisher model used. The impact caused the extinguisher to move into the cockpit floor, where the safety pin was released and the extinguishing powder was discharged without any intervention from the pilot.
Findings
- The student pilot failed to select the 10° flap configuration required by the operator's standard procedure, likely due to a checklist error during pre-take-off preparations.
- The 0° flap configuration resulted in lower lift at the 55-knot rotation speed, which caused the pilot to believe the aircraft was underperforming, leading to the decision to abort.
- The fire extinguisher bracket was not properly secured for the specific model of extinguisher in use, allowing it to become a loose object in the cabin.
- The aircraft sustained substantial damage, including a collapsed nose gear, propeller damage, and damage to the lower engine cowling.
Safety action
Following an internal investigation, the operator implemented several mitigation measures, including:
- Incorporating 0° flap take-off practices into training to ensure pilots are familiar with the handling characteristics of such a configuration.
- Strengthening checklist discipline during solo flight briefings.
- Implementing specific emergency landing training scenarios for student pilots on dual command flights.