What happened
On 17 May 2014, a Mainair Blade microlight, registration G-MZAZ, was conducting a solo refresher flight at Headon Airfield in Nottinghamshire. The flight was being supervised by a flying instructor, though the student pilot was operating the aircraft alone at the time of the incident.
Weather conditions were favorable, with clear skies and a light surface wind of 6 knots from 250°.
As the aircraft returned to the airfield, the student pilot performed an overhead join and transitioned into an approach toward the grass runway 23. While the initial crossing of the runway threshold appeared normal, the pilot executed a too vigorous flare during the landing phase. This maneuver caused the aircraft to lose airspeed rapidly, resulting in a heavy touchdown on all three wheels. The impact caused extensive damage to the trike structure, though the pilot escaped without injury.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the student pilot and additional commentary provided by the flying instructor. The inquiry focused on the flight path and the pilot's control inputs during the final stages of the approach.