Overview
On 10 October 2021 at 0831Z, a Sling 2 aircraft (registration ZU-STB, serial number 244) operated by a student pilot on a solo training flight under Part 141 of the South African Civil Aviation Regulations experienced an accident during landing at Mosselbay Aerodrome (FAMO) in the Western Cape province. The flight was conducted under visual flight rules (VFR) by day. The pilot was the sole occupant and held a Student Pilot Licence (Aeroplane) with a total of 25.3 flying hours, of which 23 were dual and 2.3 solo. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the nose gear, left-wing tip, and propeller blades. The pilot did not sustain any injuries.
Sequence of Events
According to the student pilot, four uneventful circuits were completed. During the fifth circuit, while touching down on Runway 28, the aircraft bounced three times. An instructor watching from the air traffic control tower advised the pilot via radio to perform a go-around. The student pilot added power to initiate a go-around but immediately rejected it by pulling the power back to idle after feeling misalignment on the nose wheel and hearing the propeller blades strike the runway surface. The left-wing tip scraped the runway, and the aircraft skidded off the left side of the runway, coming to a stop 5 metres from the runway edge on the grass.
Findings
- The student pilot held a valid Student Pilot Licence (Aeroplane) issued on 25 January 2021, expiring 18 January 2023, and a Class 2 medical certificate issued on 12 January 2021 with corrective lenses restriction, expiring 31 January 2022.
- The aircraft's mandatory periodic inspection (MPI) was conducted on 20 August 2021 at 1997.6 airframe hours, with a Certificate of Release to Service (CRS) valid until 19 August 2022 or 2097.6 hours, whichever came first.
- The aircraft was initially issued an Authority to Fly (ATF) on 7 August 2017, expiring 31 August 2022.
- The approach was unstable, resulting in the aircraft touching down with the nose gear first instead of the main gears; the aircraft bounced three times. The nose gear bent, the propeller struck the runway, and the aircraft veered off the runway before stopping on the grass.
Probable Cause
During landing, the aircraft bounced three times on touch down, causing the nose wheel to bend and the pilot to lose control of the aircraft.