What happened
On 15 November 2005, a Pierre Robin HR200/120B, registration G-BXDT, was conducting a qualifying solo cross-country flight from Leeds to Durham Tees Valley Airfield. The aircraft was operated by a student pilot.
During the approach to Runway 23, the pilot identified that the approach speed was slightly higher than ideal but elected to proceed with the landing. The aircraft initially made contact with the nose landing gear. This was followed by a series of bounces along the runway surface. During one of these oscillations, the propeller made contact with the ground. The pilot managed to maintain control of the aircraft and taxied it off the runway. There were no injuries to the pilot, though the aircraft sustained damage to the propeller and the nose landing gear.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The inquiry focused on the sequence of the landing and the subsequent contact between the propeller and the ground. The investigation established that the aircraft's speed during the final approach was higher than the target approach speed, which contributed to the unstable landing profile.