What happened
On April 29, 2005, a Reims Aviation 150 L, registered F-BVSP, was performing a solo circuit at the Tarbes Laloubère aerodrome. The flight was being conducted by a student pilot following five successful circuits in dual instruction earlier that day. While the instructor monitored the frequency from the airfield office, the student pilot was on final approach.
During the approach, the instructor advised the student to adjust the glide path to a shallower angle, which the pilot implemented. Although the pilot maintained the manual's recommended landing speed of 60 knots and reduced power to idle, the aircraft flared too high. This resulted in a bounce on the main landing gear. Upon the second contact with the unpaved runway, the aircraft struck the ground with significant force while tracking to the left. The aircraft then veered to the right at high speed, causing the nose gear to collapse.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of the landing and the pilot's control inputs. The instructor noted that the student had successfully completed several landings the previous day without incident. During the post-accident analysis, the student pilot could not precisely recall all specific control inputs due to the rapid nature of the event, though it appeared rudder inputs were used during the taxiing phase. The investigation examined the aircraft's configuration and the impact of the bounce on the structural integrity of the landing gear.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the pilot's lack of knowledge regarding the technique required to recover from a missed flare.
- The aircraft sustained damage to the nose gear, propeller, engine mount, and wingtips.
- The landing was characterized by an excessive flare height, leading to a bounce and subsequent high-energy impact with the nose gear.