What happened
On May 8, 2012, at 18:32, a Cessna A152 aircraft, registration OH-CKB, crashed at the Alastaro racing circuit in Finland. The aircraft, owned and operated by the Finnish Aviation Academy, caught fire upon impact and was destroyed. The pilot, who was flying solo, sustained fatal injuries and died immediately.
The flight began from Pori Airport under good weather conditions as a VFR cross-country training flight. Following the planned route toward Yläne, the pilot deviated from the original flight plan to locate the Alastar racing circuit. Upon finding the circuit, the pilot began circling the area at an altitude between 600 and 1,000 feet. During this maneuvering, the aircraft entered a steep, climbing turn, leading to a sudden loss of control and a subsequent impact with the ground.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's flight path, the aircraft's mechanical state, and the training environment. Investigators found that the pilot had diverted from the planned route specifically to find the circuit. The analysis also looked into the training workload of student pilots, noting that some students performed non-essential activities, such as aerial photography, during repetitive cross-country flights. Furthermore, the investigation identified ambiguities in the regulatory requirements for spin avoidance training and deficiencies in flight school instructional guidelines.
Findings
- The sudden asymmetric stall during a climbing and steepening turn was the immediate cause of the accident.
- The pilot failed to adequately monitor the aircraft's attitude and flight instruments because attention was diverted to activities occurring on the racing circuit below.
- The pilot's limited flying experience and the low altitude prevented the execution of timely and effective recovery maneuvers.
- The decision to deviate from the planned route to search for the circuit contributed to the sequence of events.
- Inadequate training instructions regarding the prevention and recovery of spins and unusual attitudes were identified as contributing factors.