Incident Overview
On 10 February 2006 at 14:20 local time (12:20 UTC), a Cessna F150L (registration I-CENE) operated by Aero Club Verona was concluding a training flight for a private pilot license. The aircraft, with an instructor and a student on board, was performing landing practice at Verona Boscomantico airport (ICAO: LIPN). The aircraft came to a stop on the grass beyond runway 08 after the landing roll.
Aircraft and Crew Information
The aircraft was a single-engine, two-seat, high-wing monoplane with tricycle landing gear, built in 1973 by Reims Aviation under license. It was powered by a Rolls Royce 0-200-A engine producing 100 hp. It had a valid certificate of airworthiness with classifications Normal, Semi-acrobatic/Touring, and Special School. The aircraft had operated 980 hours and 6 minutes since the last inspection.
The instructor, a 33-year-old male, held a valid commercial pilot license with FI/VFR endorsement and a valid medical certificate. He had 760 total flight hours, 80 hours on type, and 6 hours in the last 30 days.
Meteorological Conditions
Wind was from 330° at 5 to 10 knots, and conditions were CAVOK.
Event Description
During the training mission, the instructor decided to conduct approaches and landings with a slight tailwind to demonstrate the appropriate technique (aircraft attitude and flap usage) to the student. Consequently, they used runway 08 (magnetic orientation 73°) instead of the active runway 26, due to the wind from 330°.
After several circuits for runway 08, the student initiated a no-flap approach. The instructor then took over controls and began the descent without flaps, resulting in a low nose attitude ("flat attitude"). The aircraft touched down approximately halfway along the 1014-meter runway at an indicated airspeed of 70–75 knots. The subsequent braking caused the aircraft to continue into the grass beyond the runway 08 threshold. During the rollout, a skid lasting several meters led to the collapse of the nose landing gear, resulting in damage to the propeller, engine mount, nose gear, and lower engine cowling. No tire marks were observed on the runway that would indicate heavy braking.
Analysis
The investigation determined that the touchdown speed was significantly higher than the 62 knots recommended for this aircraft type. Considering that each 5-knot increase in approach speed adds about 10% to the landing distance, the actual groundspeed (close to or above 75 knots, including a tailwind component of about 2 knots) likely increased the stopping distance by at least 40% compared to the normal distance of approximately 250 meters. Additionally, the no-flap configuration and flat attitude minimized aerodynamic braking. The runway length would have been adequate if these factors had been properly accounted for.
Probable Cause
The accident was caused by an incorrect execution of the approach and landing maneuver in tailwind conditions, leading to the aircraft stopping beyond the runway threshold and subsequent collapse of the nose wheel.
Safety Recommendations
No specific safety recommendations were issued.