What happened
On February 19, 2018, an Aero Boero AB-115, registration PP-GBP, was conducting a training flight for a pilot license course near Novo Horizonte, Brazil. The flight, operated by Itápolis Aeroclub, involved a student pilot and a flight instructor performing touch-and-go landing maneuvers.
During the fourth landing attempt, a wheel landing procedure, the student pilot lost control of the aircraft's attitude. The aircraft touched the runway and subsequently gained altitude unexpectedly. Although the instructor verbally commanded a go-around, the student failed to execute the maneuver. The aircraft then veered off the side of the runway. In an attempt to steer the aircraft back onto the paved surface, the instructor took control, but the maneuver caused the right wingtip to strike the ground. This impact led to the failure of the landing gear and a subsequent collision between the propeller and the ground. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the engine, propeller, landing gear, and right wing, though both crew members escaped without injury.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation focused on the sequence of events during the critical landing phase and the crew's management of the developing emergency. Investigators examined the flight instructor's recent experience, noting he had been instructing for only approximately three months. The investigation also reviewed the student's training progress, which had previously been rated as good.
Technical analysis of the wreckage and the flight sequence revealed that the instructor's decision-making was a critical factor. The investigation established that the instructor's intervention was too late to interrupt the chain of events and that his attempt to correct the aircraft's path actually triggered the wingtip strike.
Findings
- Late decision-making: The instructor's delayed reaction and failure to take command of the aircraft in a timely manner prevented the implementation of necessary corrective measures.
- Crew Resource Management (CRM) failure: There was a breakdown in communication between the crew, as the student failed to respond to the instructor's verbal command for a go-around.
- Inappropriate piloting judgment: The instructor failed to consider a go-around as a viable alternative and instead attempted a recovery maneuver that resulted in the wingtip hitting the ground.
- Lack of assertiveness: The instructor's unassertive stance and over-reliance on the student's previous good performance may have allowed the student's error to reach an irreversible state.
- Control skills: The student pilot demonstrated inadequate application of aircraft commands during the landing phase.