Aircraft and Flight Details
The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee, registration G-OIBO, manufactured in 1966. It was powered by a single Lycoming O-360-A4A piston engine. On 2 September 2002 at 1715 UTC, the aircraft was conducting a training flight from Wellesbourne Mountford Airport. The sole occupant was a 32-year-old student pilot with a total of 13 flying hours, all on type. His recent experience included 9 hours in the last 90 days and 5 hours in the last 28 days.
Incident Description
The student pilot was undertaking his first solo flight. Weather conditions were good with very light wind. After a normal approach, the aircraft bounced on touchdown. The pilot kept the engine power at idle and eased the nose of the aircraft down in an attempt to recover from the bounce. However, this action resulted in the propeller striking the runway surface on the subsequent landing, damaging the propeller tips. Following the incident, the pilot taxied the aircraft back to the parking area before shutting down the engine.
Pilot Training
The student pilot had been taught the appropriate bounce recovery technique during his training, as noted in the report submitted by the pilot to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
Damage
The only damage reported was bent propeller tips. No injuries occurred to the pilot.
Investigation Information
The event was categorised as Category 1.3 and the report was submitted by the pilot.