What happened
On April 8, 2023, at 10:28 UTC, an Aquila Aviation International GmbH AT01-100, registration TC-UII, was performing a solo navigation training flight at the Sakarya Pamukova Landing Strip (ZZZZ). The flight, operated by Atlantik Uçuş Okulu A.Ş., began with a takeoff from runway 25. After completing a navigation route via Çerkeşli, İznik, Sölöz, and Gemlik at altitudes between 5,500 and 6,500 feet, the student pilot returned to the landing strip.
During the landing on runway 07, the aircraft experienced a hard impact with the runway. The pilot reported that while in the flare position with full power reduction, the aircraft's nose pitched up, prompting the pilot to push the control column forward. This maneuver resulted in a heavy touchdown that caused the nose gear to break and separate from the airframe. The aircraft sustained light damage, including damage to the nose gear, propeller, and engine. There were no injuries or fatalities.
The investigation
The UEİM investigation examined the flight logs, maintenance records, and the pilot's actions. The investigation identified several administrative and operational discrepancies, including inconsistencies in flight hour recording between different airworthiness logbooks and discrepancies in fuel quantity documentation. Furthermore, the investigation found that the aircraft's GPS device had empty SD card slots, preventing the retrieval of flight data, and that the operator had not yet implemented requirements for aircraft image recording systems as per SHGM directives.
Findings
- The student pilot failed to use correct control techniques during the flare phase.
- The pilot lost situational awareness and became overly focused on the landing, failing to execute a go-around despite the aircraft being unstable.
- The pilot failed to properly manage the aircraft's pitch during the flare, leading to the hard landing.
- Discrepancies were noted in the aircraft's maintenance tracking and flight hour logs between different operational bases.
- There was a lack of standardized procedures for checking the functionality of the Aircraft Tracking System (HATS).