What happened
On 5 March 2018, a Cessna 140, registration G-HALJ, was conducting a training flight at Peterborough Conington Airfield in Cambridgeshire. The flight was the second training session of the day for the instructor and the student. Prior to the final approach, the flight had already included three landings and two go-arounds following bounced landings.
Upon touching down on the intended final approach, the student pilot began to lose directional control of the aircraft. Although the instructor attempted to intervene and take command, the transition occurred too rapidly for any verbal communication to take place. In an attempt to manage the situation, the student applied the brakes, which caused the aircraft to tip forward onto its nose. While there were no injuries to the two crew members, the aircraft sustained damage to the propeller, cowling, and wingtip, and the engine suffered shock-loading.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the sequence of the landing and the actions taken by the crew. The instructor noted that while they attempted to take control, the speed of the event left very little time for a coordinated response. The investigation also reviewed the flight history of the day, noting the previous unsuccessful landing attempts that preceded the accident.