What happened
On 30 August 2001, a Jabiru UL, registration G-MGCA, was conducting a type conversion training flight at Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey. The flight was being conducted by a flying instructor and a student pilot, both of whom were on board the aircraft. During a period of dual circuit training, the student pilot performed a touchdown that resulted in an over-reaction to the pitch control inputs. This caused the aircraft to bounce, after which the pilot pushed the control stick forward.
During a subsequent landing attempt, the nosewheel leg of the aircraft collapsed. The impact caused damage to the propeller and the nosewheel assembly. There were no injuries to the crew during the incident.
The investigation
The investigation was based on an accident report submitted by the flying instructor. The instructor noted that the student pilot was undergoing training to become familiar with the Jabiru type, having previously flown other microlight aircraft. The instructor suggested that the nosewheel leg may have been weakened by the initial bounced landing caused by the late control intervention. The instructor also expressed the opinion that the aircraft type presents difficulties during the landing phase.
Investigators reviewed the history of the Jabiru UL in the United Kingdom. While the specific aircraft, G-MGCA, had been involved in previous accidents, a review of the wider fleet did not reveal a consistent pattern of failure. Aside from two previous instances of landing gear damage, the aircraft's history did not show a specific trend. Furthermore, a broader study of the type's operations in the UK showed that while there had been some instances of nose and main landing gear failures, the type did not demonstrate an unusually high frequency of such accidents relative to the number of aircraft in use.
Findings
- The nosewheel leg collapsed during the second landing attempt.
- The primary cause was a bounced landing and subsequent improper pitch control input during the initial circuit training.
- The instructor's assessment suggested the landing gear structure may have been compromised by the force of the initial bounce.