What happened
On August 26, 2013, a Neiva 56-C, registration PP-GVQ, was conducting a private pilot training flight at Arthur Siqueira Airport (SBBP) in Bragança Paulista, Brazil. The flight, operated by Aeroclube de Bragança Paulista, involved an instructor and a student pilot performing maneuvers in the training area.
Following approximately one hour of flight, the crew returned to the airfield for landing. During the deceleration phase on the runway, the instructor handed control of the aircraft to the student pilot. During this transition, the aircraft drifted from the runway centerline. In an attempt to correct the deviation, the student pilot applied the brakes abruptly. The aircraft subsequently veered off the runway and nose-over (pilonou) approximately 4/5 of a kilometer after the touchdown point. Both occupants escaped the incident without injury, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the engine and propeller.
The investigation
The CENIPA investigation established that the instructor had briefed the planned maneuvers but had not discussed the possibility of transferring control to the student for the taxi phase following the landing. Based on the student's good performance during the flight maneuvers, the instructor decided to let the student handle the ground taxi.
Investigators found that the student pilot struggled to maintain the aircraft's alignment with the runway axis. The sudden application of the brakes by the student, combined with the instructor's delayed intervention, prevented the recovery of the aircraft's trajectory.
Findings
- The instructor's decision to transfer control of the aircraft without prior briefing on the possibility of such a transition.
- The student pilot's lack of experience in maintaining directional control during the taxi phase.
- The abrupt application of the brakes by the student pilot in an attempt to correct the deviation.