What happened
On August 11, 1972, a student pilot was conducting solo flight training at the Lausanne-La Blécherette airfield. Having completed his first solo flight only the previous day, the pilot initially performed a dual-instruction flight before departing alone at 14:30 CEST for a circuit pattern.
During the final approach to runway 19, the Cessna 150 was positioned too far to the left and slightly short of the runway centerline. At an estimated altitude of 5 to 6 meters, the pilot initiated a premature flare. This maneuver caused the aircraft to maintain a level trajectory parallel to the ground until it reached a critical speed. The aircraft subsequently entered a flat stall and struck the ground nose-first at 14:35. The aircraft slid approximately 30 meters along the runway threshold before coming to a stop. The impact resulted in one serious injury to the pilot and the total destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
Investigators examined the pilot's credentials and the aircraft's condition. The pilot was a valid student pilot with approximately 12.27 hours of total flight time on the type, having completed his first solo flight just one day prior to the accident. There were no indications of health issues affecting the pilot's performance.
The Cessna 150, registration HB-CVE, was found to be in airworthy condition with a valid certificate of airworthiness. The weight and center of gravity were within permissible limits, and no technical malfunctions were identified as contributing to the crash.
Weather conditions at the time were favorable, with visibility exceeding 10 km, light winds from the south at 3 knots, and a temperature of 32°C. The instructor was monitoring the flight from the runway edge via a portable radio. During the approach, the aircraft was configured with 20 degrees of flaps extended. The investigation noted that the stall occurred precisely as the instructor was attempting to use the radio to instruct the student to apply full power.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was a loss of control resulting from an improper flare initiated at too high an altitude.
- The pilot failed to correct the aircraft's attitude following the premature flare, maintaining a level flight path that led to a stall.
- The altitude at which the stall occurred left insufficient margin for the pilot to recover control before ground impact.