What happened
On 29 July 2007, a Tecnam P92 Echo Super, registration ZU-EKS, was conducting a commercial training flight at Grand Central Aerodrome. The flight, which involved an instructor accompanying a student pilot for touch-and-go practice, was operating under favorable weather conditions with a temperature of 17˚C and a light 8-knot crosswind from the left.
During the approach to Runway 17, the aircraft became directionally unstable due to the wind. As the student pilot performed the round-out, the aircraft drifted left of the runway centerline toward the grass verge. The instructor intervened by taking control to realign the aircraft with the centerline. However, upon touchdown, the aircraft's nose drifted left again due to the weathercock effect. The student failed to apply the necessary corrective inputs, causing the aircraft to veer sharply to the left.
In an attempt to recover the centerline, the student applied right rudder, which resulted in an excessive swing to the right side of the runway and a sideways skid. As the instructor applied left rudder to stabilize the movement, the nose wheel collapsed.
The investigation
SACAA AIID examined the flight circumstances and the aircraft's maintenance history. The investigation confirmed that the aircraft was operated by a certified Aviation Training Organisation with a valid authority to fly. Records indicated that the most recent Mandatory Periodic Inspection (MPI) had been completed on 21 June 2007, with the aircraft having flown an additional 50.82 hours since that inspection. The maintenance organization responsible for the MPI was found to have held a valid approval certificate and had recently passed an audit with no major deficiencies noted.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the student pilot's use of incorrect landing techniques when managing crosswind conditions.
- The pilot's failure to apply timely corrective actions allowed the aircraft to lose directional control.
- The instructor's intervention was unable to prevent the sequence of events that led to the structural failure of the nose gear.