What happened
On September 27, 2021, a flight training session was underway at Hyvinkää Aerodrome, Finland. The purpose of the flight was a proficiency check to extend the student pilot's LAPL privileges. The flight was conducted in a Van's RV-8, an experimental aircraft where the occupants sit in tandem. The student pilot was acting as the pilot in command, while the instructor occupied the rear seat.
The flight plan included performing three simulated engine failure approaches to runway 22. During the final approach, the aircraft was approximately 300–400 feet above the aerodrome elevation. The student pilot reduced engine power to idle and initiated a steep turn toward the runway threshold. During this maneuver, the aircraft's airspeed decreased rapidly, approaching the stall speed. The aircraft lost control and struck the ground approximately 130 meters short of the runway threshold. The student pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the instructor was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
The investigation
The OTKES investigation examined the aircraft's technical configuration, the flight path via radar and video recordings, and the medical histories of the crew. Investigators analyzed the aircraft's instrumentation, specifically the airspeed and altimeter, and reviewed data from a SkyDemon mobile application. The investigation also looked into the regulatory requirements for using experimental aircraft for training purposes and the medical fitness of the pilots involved.