Accident Overview
On 16 September 2012, at approximately 10:15 UTC, a Cessna C152 (registration OK-AVI) experienced a landing accident at Roudnice Airport (LKRO). The aircraft was on a training flight with a student pilot and an instructor. During the landing on runway 13L, the aircraft bounced after initial touchdown. The student pilot reacted by pushing the control column forward abruptly. The instructor did not have time to intervene before the aircraft contacted the ground again. The nose landing gear failed, the nose dropped, and the aircraft overturned onto its back, coming to rest inverted. The engine stopped during the rollover. Both occupants turned off the electrical system, magnetos, and fuel valve before evacuating. They were uninjured.
Aircraft Information
The accident aircraft was a Cessna C152, a two-seat, single-engine, high-wing monoplane with fixed tricycle landing gear. It was manufactured in 1978 by Cessna Aircraft Company (USA), serial number 15279831. The total airframe time was 8,190 hours and 35 minutes, with 15,430 total flight cycles. The engine was a Lycoming O-235-L2C, fitted with a Sensenich two-blade fixed-pitch metal propeller. The aircraft held a valid certificate of airworthiness until 18 April 2013 and was insured. The last maintenance was a 100-hour inspection performed on 28 August 2012, after which the aircraft had flown 172 flights totaling 47 hours and 45 minutes.
Crew Information
The instructor held a CPL(A) with FI(A) rating and had 3,488 hours and 35 minutes total flight time, including 2,848 hours and 15 minutes as an instructor. He was 37 years old. The student pilot was 36 years old and had begun PPL(A) training on 6 August 2012. She had logged 15 hours and 40 minutes total flight time, all on the Cessna C152 except a 10-minute familiarization flight in a Piper PA-28. She had no pilot license yet and was flying under supervision.
Meteorological Conditions
According to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, the weather at the time was characterized by a high-pressure ridge from the west. Surface wind was from 150° to 200° at 5-8 knots, visibility was over 10 km, and there were few cumulus clouds at 6,000-7,000 feet AGL. No turbulence or icing was reported. Temperature was 18°C with a dew point of 9°C. METAR reports from Prague Ruzyně indicated similar conditions.
Accident Sequence
The flight was the tenth circuit of the day, practicing takeoff, climb, circuit, approach, and landing. On final approach to runway 13L, the student pilot was handling the controls. After touchdown, the aircraft bounced. According to the instructor's and student's statements, the student reacted by sharply pushing the control column forward. Before the instructor could correct, the aircraft struck the ground with the nose gear first. The nose gear collapsed, and the aircraft pitched forward, overturning onto its back. The propeller struck the ground, and the aircraft came to rest inverted on the grass runway. The engine stopped during the rollover.
Damage Assessment
The aircraft sustained significant damage. The fuselage was deformed and dented in the forward and middle sections. The engine cowling was cracked and deformed, and the lower cowling was partially separated. The nose landing gear was torn off, with the steering link rod eye broken at the thread. The windshield had a crack across its full width at the top. The lower fuselage behind the cockpit was heavily deformed. Both wing skins were wrinkled, with the left wing root area damaged. The vertical stabilizer was deformed and cracked at the leading edge. The top strobe light was broken off. The rudder was bent to the right at the top. The engine showed signs of impact with the ground, but the propeller could be rotated manually with reasonable force. Both propeller blades were symmetrically bent aft. No other significant damage was noted to other components.