What happened
On 2 August 2011, a Teameurostar UK, registration G-CEND, was involved in a landing accident at Northampton (Sywell) Aerodrome. The aircraft was being operated by a student pilot undergoing a fixed-wing conversion course. Following a successful training session with an instructor, the student was cleared to perform a solo circuit.
During the landing phase, the aircraft struck the main wheels firmly and bounced. The pilot attempted to manage the bounce using flight controls while maintaining idle power. However, the aircraft bounced two additional times, with each subsequent impact occurring on the nosewheel. The pilot eventually brought the aircraft to a stop on the runway and shut down the engine. While there were no injuries to the pilot, a post-flight inspection revealed damage to the engine firewall.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's recent training history and the sequence of events during the landing. The pilot, who was an experienced flex-wing pilot, had completed 21 hours of training on this specific type. The investigation established that the pilot's actions during the bounce were influenced by previous training habits. Specifically, the pilot believed that they either applied incorrect control inputs or reverted to instinctive movements used in flex-wing aircraft. The pilot noted that they should have applied power during the initial bounce to mitigate the effect.