What happened
On 25 September 2003, a Europa XS, registration G-CBWF, was involved in an accident near Wombleton, Yorkshire, during a private flight. The aircraft was being operated for the purpose of air-to-air photography in a formation flight. While the owner of the aircraft was the primary pilot, a second pilot with extensive formation experience was requested to fly from the left seat to facilitate an echelon starboard formation.
Following the conclusion of the photographic mission, the aircraft returned to the airfield. The pilot in the left seat took control for the landing. During the approach, the pilot maintained a speed of 70 knots, but flared at 65 knots and touched down at 55 knots. The nose wheel made contact with the runway first, causing the aircraft to bounce. A series of oscillations followed, which the pilot noted may have been worsened by his lack of familiarity with controlling the aircraft with his left hand on the column and right hand on the throttle. In an attempt to execute a go-around, the pilot applied power; however, the application was too late to prevent a stall following the final bounce. The aircraft's nose dropped, and the nose wheel fork fractured upon heavy impact with the runway. The aircraft then slid in an arc before coming to rest on the left side of the runway. There were no injuries to the two occupants.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's recent experience and the specific circumstances of the flight. It was established that while the pilot had significant total flying hours, he lacked recent currency on this specific aircraft type, having last flown it fifteen months prior. Furthermore, the pilot was unaccustomed to the specific control configuration required for left-seat operation, as his recent experience involved the throttle being operated by the left hand.
Findings
- The landing was performed at an excessive speed.
- The pilot failed to maintain sufficient aft pressure on the control column to keep the nose wheel off the ground.
- The pilot's lack of recent type currency and unfamiliarity with left-seat control ergonomics contributed to the loss of control during the bounce.
- The pre-flight briefing focused heavily on formation flying procedures rather than aircraft-specific landing techniques.