What happened
On July 10, 2019, a Tecnam P2002-JF, registration EC-MLJ, was conducting a solo flight training mission at Sabadell Airport (LELL) in Barcelona. The flight, operated by European Aviation School (EAS), was intended to include an ATZ crossing followed by practice take-offs and landings.
After completing the initial portion of the flight, the pilot entered the traffic pattern for runway 13. The first landing attempt was completed without incident. However, during the second landing attempt, the aircraft was configured with full flaps. The pilot reported that the aircraft approached the runway in a very flat attitude, causing the aircraft to bounce against the runway surface three times. During these impacts, the nose gear collapsed, causing the propeller to strike the runway. The aircraft left tracks on the runway, left of the centerline, and came to a stop past taxiway S2.
There were no injuries to the pilot, who vacated the aircraft on his own. The aircraft sustained significant damage to the nose gear, the propeller blades, and the engine.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's training history and the aircraft's maintenance records. The pilot was an ATPL student with approximately 27 hours of total flight time, all in this aircraft type. This was the student's first solo flight following a recent training period, though eleven days had passed since the student's previous flight.
Investigators noted that while the student had completed four previous instructional flights, none of those sessions had specifically included the practice of take-offs and landings. The aircraft was found to be airworthy, with all documentation and maintenance inspections up to date.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the incorrect execution of the landing maneuver, which resulted in an abnormal contact with the runway.
- The aircraft's flat approach attitude led to multiple bounces on the runway.
- The student pilot had not practiced take-off and landing maneuvers in the preceding instructional flights.
- The nose gear failure and subsequent propeller strike were direct results of the repeated impacts during the bouncing sequence.