Incident Details
On 7 September 2004 at 1303 hours UTC, a Grob G115E Tutor, registration G-BYVT, was involved in an incident during a training flight at RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire. The aircraft sustained damage to the nose wheel rim, a slight bend in the engine mounting frame, and a split in the tail skid structure. Both crew members, an instructor and a student, were uninjured.
Aircraft and Crew
The aircraft, a Grob G115E Tutor, was manufactured in 2000 and powered by a single Lycoming AEIO-360-B1F piston engine. The instructor, a 34-year-old Royal Air Force officer, held 2,204 hours total flying experience, with 112 hours on type. The Commander's Licence was not required as per Article 21 of The Air Navigation Order 2000, which exempts military personnel on duty.
Sequence of Events
The instructor was conducting a training sortie that included normal and glide circuits. He demonstrated two glide circuits to the student; the first resulted in a go-around due to other aircraft traffic, and the second led to a touch-and-go landing. The student pilot initially flew a circuit that ended in a low approach, requiring a go-around and a brief airborne re-brief.
On the next attempt, the student established the aircraft on final approach with take-off flap set and maintained speed at or above 75 knots. At 300 feet, the student selected landing flaps and continued. At approximately 30 feet, just as the flare should have commenced, both the instructor and student observed the airspeed drop to about 70 knots. The student pilot responded by lowering the nose to regain target airspeed. The instructor immediately took control, applied full power, and attempted to flare, but could not prevent a heavy touchdown on the nose landing gear. The main landing gear and tail subsequently contacted the runway before the aircraft became airborne again. The instructor flew the go-around and, after normal cockpit indications and a visual inspection from another aircraft, performed a normal approach and landing.
Damage
The nose wheel rim was damaged, the engine mounting frame was slightly bent, and the tail skid structure was split.