What happened
On 19 September 2009, a Robin R2160I, registration G-WAVT, was engaged in a training flight at Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield in Warwickshire. The aircraft was being operated by a student pilot who was performing their second solo flight following successful dual instruction.
While the first circuit of the flight proceeded without incident, the landing following the second circuit resulted in an error. The student pilot flared the aircraft too early, causing it to level out several feet above the runway. This led to a hard landing and a subsequent bounce back into the air. The aircraft eventually came to rest on the grass area adjacent to the paved runway.
The investigation
Following the incident, the student pilot was uninjured. The aircraft sustained damage to the propeller, the engine, and the nose landing gear. The investigation established that the engine had experienced a shock-load.
Initially, the pilot was unaware that any damage had occurred to the aircraft. However, following instructions from the fire crew attending the scene, the pilot shut down the engine and vacated the aircraft. The investigation confirmed there was no fire during the event.