What happened
On June 5, 2012, a Cessna 152 was conducting a cross-country training flight from Charleroi to Saint-Hubert Airfield (EBSH). The aircraft, operated by a flight school, was carrying two student pilots. During the landing phase on runway 14L, the aircraft touched down approximately 200 meters past the threshold with a landing speed of 65 knots and full flaps.
After rolling for about 100 meters, the aircraft bounced once due to the uneven grass surface. As the aircraft lifted off the ground, the pilot in command applied forward pressure on the control column. This caused the aircraft to pitch nose-down, striking the runway with the nose wheel first. The impact triggered a second, higher rebound of approximately 2 to 3 meters. The force of the impact caused the nose landing gear to fail, resulting in significant damage to the engine mount, propeller, and firewall. The aircraft was subsequently declared beyond economical repair. The two occupants escaped the incident without injuries.
The investigation
The AAIU(Be) examined the flight history, airfield conditions, and pilot experience. The investigation noted that the pilots were training for ATPL licenses and that this was their first landing at the Saint-Hubert grass runway. The investigators analyzed the aircraft's mechanical state and the physical characteristics of the airfield, noting that the grass runways at EBSH are subject to uneven terrain and noticeable slopes.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was an excessive landing and rolling speed.
- The unevenness of the grass runway surface contributed to the initial bounce.
- The pilot's reflexive forward movement of the yoke during the bounce caused the aircraft to pitch down into the second impact.
- A contributing factor was the pilot's limited experience with landing on grass surfaces, as most previous training had occurred on paved runways.