What happened
On June 18, 2015, a student pilot was conducting solo training maneuvers at the Hausen am Albis (LSZN) airfield. The flight was part of a series of solo circuit patterns intended to practice touch-and-go landings. The pilot successfully completed three circuits without incident. However, during the fourth landing attempt, the nose gear of the HB-SFU (an ultralight aircraft) made contact with the runway first, causing the aircraft to bounce. This oscillation occurred multiple times; on the third bounce, the nose gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to skid on its nose. There were no injuries to the pilot or any third parties, though the aircraft sustained damage to the nose gear and propeller.
The investigation
The investigation examined the training background of the pilot and the sequence of the landing maneuvers. It was noted that the student had recently transferred to the Albis Wings flight school in early June 201 following previous training at a different institution. The investigation established that no formal communication or exchange of training progress had occurred between the previous instructors and the new flight school regarding the student's development.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the structural failure of the nose gear following repeated impacts with the runway.
- The aircraft experienced a series of bounces during the fourth landing attempt, specifically involving an initial nose-first contact followed by subsequent oscillations.
- A lack of coordination regarding the student's training history was noted, as the new flight school had not received an exchange of information from the student's previous training provider.