Incident Overview
On 12 June 2018 at 1720 UTC, an Ikarus C42 FB80 (registration G-HEVR) suffered damage during a solo training flight at Lydd Airport, Kent. The aircraft was being flown by a 55-year-old student pilot with 56 hours total flying experience, including 31 hours on type. The flight was part of a training session; the student had earlier completed two dual landings with an instructor before being sent solo for the fourth time.
Sequence of Events
The student completed two solo circuits uneventfully. On the third landing approach, he was practicing power-off approaches with full flaps to simulate an engine failure. The student reported that the approach and final landing went well, but as he attempted to retract the flaps from full to the takeoff setting, he became briefly confused and operated the wrong rudder pedal. The instructor, observing from the ground, saw the aircraft swing sharply to the left and tip up.
Aircraft Characteristics and Pilot Actions
The Ikarus C42 has a centrally-mounted stick, effectively functioning as a right-hand sidestick for the left-seat pilot. The flap control is also located centrally, just behind the top of the windscreen, and uses a latching arrangement requiring careful manipulation. To operate the flaps, the pilot must reach across with one hand while keeping the other on the stick. The student's momentary disorientation during this maneuver led to the inadvertent rudder input.
Damage and Injuries
The incident resulted in damage to the nose leg, propeller, and wingtip. There were no injuries to the pilot, who was the sole occupant.
Investigation Findings
The pilot submitted an Aircraft Accident Report Form, and the flying instructor provided comments. No probable cause was explicitly stated in the source material; the student's account described the sequence of actions leading to the incident but did not assign a formal cause.