Accident Overview
On 3 March 2005 at 0905 hours UTC, a Reims Cessna F152, registration G-IBRO, sustained damage after a forced landing approximately 1 km north of Runway 04 at Leicester Airport, Leicestershire. The aircraft was conducting a training flight with two crew members on board—a student pilot and an instructor. Both occupants sustained minor injuries. The aircraft was extensively damaged, including the right main and nose landing gear, propeller, tail fin, elevator, wings, both forward door posts, and engine cowling.
The Demonstration
The instructor planned to demonstrate an engine failure after takeoff (EFATO) procedure. After the student completed the takeoff, the instructor took control during the climb and advised air traffic control of the practice. At about 700 feet above airfield level, the instructor closed the throttle, selected carburettor heat to hot, and performed touch drills—verbalizing the actions without making full selections, except for carburettor heat and flaps. The aircraft descended at 65 knots IAS. The instructor then selected full flap because the aircraft was slightly high for the nominated field, reducing speed to 55 knots IAS.
When the instructor selected carburettor heat to cold and opened the throttle to commence a go-around, the engine did not respond. He operated the throttle gently twice more, without success, and checked the mixture control setting. He transmitted a MAYDAY call and performed a forced landing into a ploughed field, avoiding telegraph wires. The aircraft bounced about 10 feet into the air, landed on its nose wheel, flipped forward, and came to rest inverted.
Forced Landing and Aftermath
After the aircraft came to rest inverted, the instructor asked the student to turn off the master switch and ignition switch because the instructor could not reach them. The instructor then turned off the electrics and fuel cock. Both exited through the doors, which they had opened before touchdown. The crew borrowed a mobile phone from a nearby car to inform their flying club. The instructor later noted that the flaps had remained retracted, not having travelled to the fully extended position as selected.
Investigation
During a subsequent discussion, the student informed the instructor that he had switched the ignition switch to OFF during the touch drills. The instructor had not seen this action but believed the master switch may also have been switched off because the flaps had not extended and the MAYDAY transmission was apparently not heard by air traffic control. The student recalled not turning the master switch off until they were on the ground inverted. The student, who had completed just under eight hours of instruction before the flight, stated he had not understood that the exercise involved only touch drills, which was why he had turned off the ignition. The instructor had briefed the exercise comprehensively two days prior and immediately before the flight, but the student remained unclear about the intended procedures.