Accident
On 4 June 2008 at 1345 UTC, a Cessna F150L, registration G-BAEU, sustained damage during a touch-and-go landing on Runway 22 at Full Sutton Airfield, Yorkshire. The aircraft's nosewheel collapsed, the propeller was bent, and the engine was shock-loaded. The student pilot was uninjured.
Aircraft and Crew
The Cessna F150L was manufactured in 1972 and powered by a single Continental Motors Corp O-200-A piston engine. The commander, a 37-year-old student pilot, had a total flying experience of 19 hours, all on type, with 11 hours in the last 28 days. The flight was a training sortie with only the pilot on board.
Sequence of Events
The student pilot was conducting his second solo flight and had completed two or three circuits on Runway 22 without incident. During the flare of a touch-and-go, with surface wind 220°/5 kt, he became aware of a glider approaching from the opposite direction, filling his windscreen. Believing he had no option but to stop quickly to avoid a collision, he pushed forward on the control column to get the aircraft onto the ground and commence braking. This caused the aircraft to land on its nosewheel, which collapsed after two bounces, resulting in propeller and engine damage.
Aftermath
The student pilot vacated the aircraft uninjured. He reported not having seen any aircraft in the circuit while airborne. The Cessna came to rest about 250 m from the threshold of Runway 22, approximately 100 m from the glider. The instructor estimated the two aircraft were about 200 m apart when they stopped.
Glider Pilot's Account
The glider pilot, with 250 hours of gliding experience over 10 years, had launched from Pocklington Airfield earlier that day. As he approached Full Sutton, he experienced a "massive amount of sink" and realized he could not reach his intended destination. He decided to land at Full Sutton, seeing no other aircraft in the circuit. Noting the windsock showed no significant wind, he positioned for a right-hand circuit to Runway 04. He landed on the eastern edge of the runway to leave room for unseen traffic, estimating he came to rest approximately 100 m from the threshold of Runway 04. He first saw the Cessna when its nosewheel collapsed. After vacating his glider, he pulled it into standing crops to clear the runway and went to the tower to apologize and check for injuries. The glider pilot stated he had a radio but did not tune it to the Full Sutton frequency because he was concentrating on flying the circuit with a high rate of descent. He considered landing in a field but chose the airfield due to standing crops and wires.
Safety Action
Following the accident, the glider pilot's Chief Flying Instructor debriefed him and provided re-education on radio techniques and staying within gliding range of his operating base.
Airfield Information
Full Sutton Airfield has a grass runway orientated 22/04 approximately 730 m long. It has a mandatory air-to-ground radio frequency. Circuits are flown right-hand on Runway 22 and left-hand on Runway 04.