Incident Overview
On 11 October 2014 at 1130 UTC, a Grob G115E Tutor (registration G-BYWK) operated by an unknown training organisation sustained damage to its propeller and tail skid during a solo training flight at Colerne Airfield, Somerset. The student pilot, aged 20, was the sole occupant and was not injured.
Flight History
Earlier that day, the student pilot completed a circuit consolidation exercise with an instructor, performing eight landings. The instructor assessed the circuits as generally well flown and, after three consecutive good landings, decided the student was ready for her first solo flight.
Weather and Briefing
The weather was fine with a surface wind from 220° at 9 kt. The student was briefed to fly a single circuit on Runway 20, a 900 m hard runway.
First Landing Attempt
The instructor observed the circuit from the ATC control tower. The circuit appeared satisfactory until the point of landing, when the aircraft bounced several times. The student pilot decided to abandon the landing and executed a go-around successfully.
Second Landing Attempt
On the second attempt, the aircraft again bounced multiple times and appeared to enter a Pilot Induced Oscillation (PIO) for a period. The student pilot was eventually able to regain control and land the aircraft on the runway. She was instructed to taxi clear and await assistance.
Damage Assessment
Subsequent inspection revealed that the aircraft's propeller and tail skid had struck the runway surface during the landing attempts.