Casualties unknown

2011-09-12: REIMS AVIATION S.A. F152 (HB-CFW) — Buttwil Flugplatz LSZU, AG, CH

Buttwil Flugplatz LSZU, AG, CH

On September 12, 2011, a REIMS AVIATION S.A. F152 (registration HB-CFW) was involved in an aviation accident near Buttwil Flugplatz LSZU, AG, CH. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The accident is due to a loss of control after the interruption of a touch-and-go maneuver which led to a collision with an obstacle. This summary draws on records from the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB / SUST).

Sourcesthe Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB / SUST)Primary reportUpdated 1785034239Data APIEditorial standards

On 13 September 2011, a Reims Aviation F152 (HB-CFW) conducting a solo training flight at Buttwil airfield lost control after aborting a touch-and-go, colliding with a tree. The pilot was uninjured; aircraft substantially damaged.

Factual Information

On 13 September 2011, at 18:25 local time, a Reims Aviation F152, registration HB-CFW, operated by Flugschule Eichenberger AG, was involved in an accident at Buttwil airfield (LSZU). The aircraft was conducting a solo training flight under visual flight rules. The pilot, a Swiss citizen born in 1968, held a student pilot certificate first issued on 11 June 2010 and a valid Class 2 medical certificate with a requirement to wear corrective lenses. He had logged 2 hours and 39 minutes of pilot-in-command time and 41 hours and 15 minutes of dual instruction, all on the accident aircraft type.

Narrative

The flight began at 17:31 LT with a briefing from the flight instructor. The assigned tasks included left and right traffic patterns and power-idle approaches. The student performed two left patterns and one right pattern, followed by two power-idle approaches, initially conducting touch-and-go landings. After one landing felt long, he executed a full-stop landing. He then decided to fly an additional left pattern.

During the approach for landing on runway 34, the student reported a normal approach with 60 knots indicated airspeed and 30° flaps over the forest edge. After touchdown, he set carburetor heat to cold, retracted flaps to 10°, and applied full throttle. Attempting to lift the nose, the aircraft did not become airborne. At the decision point near the hangar end, he aborted the takeoff, reduced power to idle, and applied brakes. The aircraft veered left; he attempted to correct with right brake. The aircraft departed the left side of the grass runway approximately 120 meters before the end, struck a tree with its left wingtip, pivoted left, nosed up, and came to rest on the nose wheel, right wingtip, and propeller. The pilot smelled fuel, was uninjured, evacuated the aircraft unassisted, and walked to the flight school office.

Meteorological Information

At the time of the accident, the weather at Buttwil was reported as: wind from 190° at 2-5 knots (a tailwind component for runway 34), few stratocumulus clouds at 6600 feet above mean sea level, visibility greater than 10 km, temperature 22°C, dewpoint 14°C, and QNH 1017 hPa. The general synoptic situation featured a weakening ridge from the Azores high and an approaching cold front. Local conditions included light winds and turbulence over forest areas.

Damage and Injuries

The aircraft sustained substantial damage. Minor ground damage occurred due to spilled fuel. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured.

Cause

The accident is due to a loss of control after the interruption of a touch-and-go maneuver which led to a collision with an obstacle.

Probable cause

The accident is due to a loss of control after the interruption of a touch-and-go maneuver which led to a collision with an obstacle. Contributing factors were an insufficient briefing and an inappropriate flight program relative to the student pilot's training level, insufficient supervision of the training flight by the flight instructor, and insufficient consideration of meteorological conditions with a tailwind component.

Investigation report by the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB / SUST). Original record: https://www.sust.admin.ch/inhalte/AV-berichte/2193.pdf. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB), Switzerland.