What happened
On September 16, 2023, a PS-28 CRUISER, registration EC-NAP, departed Burgos Airport for a visual flight to Logroño. The aircraft was operated by FlyBy S.L. and was being flown solo by a student pilot. During the flight, the pilot encountered low clouds and poor visibility near Logroño, prompting a decision to return to Burgos after consulting with an instructor in the area.
Upon returning to Burgos, the student pilot began the landing sequence. During the final approach, the pilot's attention was focused on the runway rather than the airspeed. The aircraft was descending with significant power and a nose-low attitude. The aircraft struck the runway twice: the first impact occurred at approximately 62.9 KIAS, followed by a second impact where the nose gear struck the pavement. This second impact caused the nose gear to collapse, leading the aircraft to slide along the runway on its engine cowling until it came to a stop 300 meters from the threshold. The pilot was uninjured, but the aircraft sustained major damage, including a broken nose gear and damaged propeller blades.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight data from the aircraft's Dynon SkyView avionics, the pilot's actions, and the flight school's management of the student's training. Investigators found that the student pilot had been involved in a similar accident only one month prior. Following that previous event, the flight school had scheduled two training flights to verify the student's skills; however, one of these flights—specifically intended for takeoff and landing practice—was canceled due to poor weather and was never rescheduled.
Data analysis revealed that the student pilot was not maintaining proper airspeed awareness and was incorrectly managing flaps, retracting and then re-extending them during the approach. Furthermore, the investigation found that the flight school's scheduling department had resumed solo flight assignments for the student without verifying that the required proficiency training had been completed.