What happened
On 16 September 2000, a Slingsby T67A, registration G-BJIG, was conducting a dual familiarisation flight at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The flight was being conducted by an Assistant Flying Instructor and a trainee pilot. After approximately 30 minutes of local flight, the aircraft returned to the circuit for the grass runway 29, with winds recorded at 290 degrees at 10 to 15 knots.
Following two landings described as slightly hard but safe, the crew prepared for a third circuit intended to be a flapless landing. During the approach, the aircraft floated while in the landing flare, triggering the stall warning horn. In an attempt to respond to the warning, the trainee pilot moved the control stick forward. This action caused the nosewheel to strike the ground and subsequently detach from the aircraft. The aircraft bounced back into the air, at which point the instructor took control of the aircraft. Unaware that the nose gear had been lost, the instructor completed the landing, and the aircraft came to rest in a nose-down position. There were no injuries to the two crew members, and no fire occurred.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The inquiry focused on the sequence of events during the third circuit and the physical impact of the nosewheel on the runway surface. The investigation examined the flight profiles of the preceding two landings and the specific control inputs made by the trainee during the stall warning event.