What happened
On August 22, 2022, a solo student pilot was conducting a visual navigation flight from Burgos Airport to Garray Aerodrome in a Czech Aircraft PS-28 Cruiser, registration EC-NLG. The flight, operated by FLY BAI, S.L., was intended to be a routine instructional navigation exercise.
Upon approaching Garray, the pilot was informed of a north wind of approximately 10-12 knots with gusts up to 20 knots. The pilot proceeded to land on runway 09. During the approach, the aircraft's airspeed exceeded the manufacturer's recommended limits, triggering a "flap overspeed" alert on the Dynon SkyView avionics system.
As the aircraft touched down, it bounced due to excessive energy. The pilot attempted to recover by pushing the control column forward to bring the nose back to the runway. This second contact occurred on the nose wheel, causing the nose gear to collapse. The propeller subsequently struck the pavement, causing the engine to stop and the aircraft to slide off the runway. The pilot was uninjured, but the aircraft sustained significant damage to the nose gear, engine lower cowling, and propeller.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation examined the flight planning, the aircraft's telemetry data from the Dynon SkyView system, and the operator's standard operating procedures (SOP). The investigation reviewed the pilot's approach speeds, the wind conditions at the time of landing, and the pilot's adherence to the manufacturer's recommended landing parameters.
Findings
- The pilot performed an unstable approach with an airspeed significantly higher than the manufacturer's recommended range of 31-46 KIAS for landing configuration.
- The landing was conducted with a crosswind component that exceeded both the manufacturer's maximum limit (12 kt) and the operator's established limits for solo student pilots.
- The pilot failed to utilize runway 02, which was available and would have provided a more favorable headwind component.
- The primary cause was the incorrect execution of the landing maneuver due to failure to adhere to the operator's procedures, specifically regarding excessive approach speed and improper recovery after the bounce.
- A contributing factor was poor flight planning, as the pilot failed to check the meteorological conditions for the destination aerodrome prior to departure.