What happened
On 24 April 2015, a Hoffmann H 36 Dimona, registration G-BNUX, was conducting training circuits at Saltby Airfield in Lincolnshire. During the third circuit of the flight, the pilot encountered increasing turbulence and crosswinds, with winds measured from 210-220 degrees at 15-20 knots. After the aircraft ballooned at 20 feet, the pilot initiated a go-around.
On the subsequent approach, the level of turbulence intensified. The pilot attempted to manage the aircraft by using his left hand on the control column and his right hand on the spoiler/brake lever, a technique contrary to his previous flying experience. As the aircraft reached approximately 40 feet, strong buffeting occurred. During this period, the pilot experienced significant confusion, mistakenly treating the spoiler lever as the control column and the control column as the spoiler lever. Consequently, the aircraft entered a rapid descent before bouncing back into the air. The pilot failed to apply full throttle to abort the landing, leading to a hard impact with the ground. The aircraft remained in a level attitude during the impact, resulting in damage to the propeller and engine.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the flight conditions, the pilot's experience, and the sequence of control inputs during the final approach. The pilot's recent flying experience was noted as being low, with only 6 hours flown in the previous 90 days and 3 hours in the previous 28 days. The investigation focused on the pilot's physical handling of the controls during the period of high turbulence.