History of the Flight
On Wednesday 27 September 2023, a student pilot took off from Montpellier-Méditerranée airport at around 16:35 with an instructor to perform runway circuits. After five circuits, the student pilot taxied back for a debriefing and was cleared for her first supervised solo flight. Weather was favourable with a southerly wind of about 5 kt.
At 17:27, she took off from runway 12R. Five minutes later, on final at about 250 ft, she considered herself too high and rejected the approach. At 17:38, she attempted a second landing; the aeroplane bounced slightly and she again rejected the landing. At 17:42, a third attempt resulted in two bounces and a third go-around.
At 17:43, the student pilot informed the controller she could not land. The controller suggested trying runway 12L, which was longer but closed by NOTAM due to drone flights. The student pilot agreed, and the drone operator stopped the mission. Meanwhile, an instructor flying a Diamond DA42 (F-HDGQ), also from Airways Aviation Academy, offered to join the student pilot to guide her.
At 17:49, during the fourth attempt on runway 12L, the student pilot flared too high, the aeroplane bounced, and the nose gear contacted the runway first, causing damage. Smoke was seen from the nose gear area. She rejected the landing and stated she could not land.
The controller instructed the student pilot to climb to 1,500 ft and hold overhead point NC. The instructor in the DA42 joined her and provided guidance on altitude, heading, and speed, advising her to keep the stick pulled back during landing to protect the nose gear.
At 18:10, with the instructor's verbal assistance, the student pilot landed on runway 12L. When the nose gear touched down, the wheel separated, and the aeroplane slid to a stop. The instructor in the DA42 went around and landed on runway 12R.
Additional Information
The 19-year-old student pilot had logged 19 flight hours, all on the Diamond DA40. Her training progress was slow, with notes of low self-confidence and stress. Three weeks before the accident, during a landing, the tail contacted the runway after a bounced landing; that incident led to a change of instructor. Her second instructor conducted three flights with her before the solo flight, noting that the difference in aeroplane weight (without the instructor) was briefed. The student pilot reported feeling apprehension about landing on the shorter runway but did not discuss it. Her stress increased after the second go-around.
Conclusions
The investigation concluded that the student pilot's flaring too high during the fourth landing attempt caused the bounce and nose gear damage. The detailed instructions given by the instructor in the DA42 contributed to the successful final landing.