What happened
On August 24, 2019, a private recreational flight was conducted at Casarão airfield in Águeda, Portugal. The flight, intended to demonstrate the aircraft's characteristics to a passenger, involved a Fantasy Air Allegro 2000P, registration CS-UNT.
During the landing phase on runway 32, the pilot approached at approximately 60 mph with flaps set to position 1 (15 degrees). The aircraft initially made contact with the runway on its nose gear, but the impact caused the aircraft to rebound into the air. The pilot attempted to correct the flight path by pushing the nose down, leading to a second nose-gear contact that lifted the aircraft to an estimated height of one meter.
As the aircraft continued a porpoise landing dynamic, it touched the ground two more times. During the final contact, the pilot applied power to initiate a go-around; however, the nose gear collapsed entirely, and the propeller struck the ground and was destroyed. The aircraft veered to the left and eventually came to a stop in an inverted position after hitting soft ground. Both occupants sustained minor injuries to their heads due to contact with the internal fuselage structure.
The investigation
The GPIAAF investigation examined the pilot's experience, the aircraft's mechanical state, and the environmental conditions. The investigation noted that the pilot had not flown this specific aircraft type since August 2017 and had not flown at all since February 2019. Furthermore, the pilot's primary training and experience were acquired at a different aerodrome with significantly different weather conditions.
Investigators also identified discrepancies in the aircraft's documentation. The manual and checklists contained inconsistent reference values for speeds, likely caused by the conflicting use of miles per hour on the airspeed indicator and kilometers per hour in the manual. This inconsistency may have led to confusion regarding the correct approach speeds.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the pilot's lack of proficiency in effectively controlling the aircraft to ensure a successful landing.
- The pilot's recent flight history showed a significant gap in recent flying experience.
- Inconsistencies between the aircraft manual and the airspeed indicator (MPH vs. km/h) contributed to potential errors in speed management.
- The aircraft suffered substantial damage to the nose gear, propeller, horizontal stabilizer, and wings.
Safety action
Following the investigation, the GPIAAF issued safety recommendation PT.SIA 2019-007 to the Portuguese Ultralight Aviation Association (APAU). The recommendation urges the association to promote theoretical and practical refresher training among its members and training organizations to address gaps in recurrent pilot training. Additionally, the GPIAAF called for the standardization of instructor practices to ensure consistent training quality across the national ultralight community.