Incident Overview
On 15 June 2025, a serious aircraft incident occurred involving a Diamond DA-20, registration SP-TEC. The aircraft was being operated by a student pilot conducting solo cross-country flights as part of her PPL(A) training. The incident took place during landing at Dęblin airfield. According to the supervising instructor, weather conditions were good and did not contribute to the event.
Sequence of Events
The student pilot had successfully completed her first solo flight of the day, departing at 07:40 UTC and landing at 08:50 UTC. After a one-hour break, she departed for her second solo flight at 10:05 UTC. The flight proceeded without issues until the approach to land at Dęblin around 11:15 UTC. The supervising instructor observed that the approach, flare, and hold-off phases appeared normal. However, the student pilot touched down with the nose wheel low, likely in a three-point attitude, which resulted in a bounce to approximately one meter. Her attempt to correct the bounce was unsuccessful, leading to a second bounce. At that point, the supervising instructor instructed her to increase engine power with the intention of commanding a go-around. Before the go-around could be executed, a third hard touchdown occurred, during which the nose landing gear leg fractured and the propeller struck the runway surface. The student pilot completed the rollout while veering left from the runway centerline and stopped. She then reported being unable to taxi. Another instructor who was awaiting departure from Dęblin taxied to the scene and directed her to shut down the engine.
Damage and Injuries
The student pilot sustained no injuries. The aircraft suffered damage: the nose wheel was broken off, and the propeller was damaged. The engine was sent for verification; as of the publication date of the resolution, no information was available regarding possible engine damage.
Cause
The investigating body determined that the cause of the incident was incorrect correction of errors during landing.
Aftermath
The incident was discussed with all flying personnel. Additionally, training sessions on correcting landing errors, with particular emphasis on recovering from bounce ("kangaroo") landings, were conducted with student pilots. The aeroclub recommended discussing the incident with all trainees and instructors, highlighting proper procedures in similar situations.