Cessna 172 student pilot reported encountering wake turbulence on approach to TYS in trail of an EMB-145 that resulted in control difficulties and wingtip and prop strikes.
Synopsis
Cessna 172 student pilot reported encountering wake turbulence on approach to TYS in trail of an EMB-145 that resulted in control difficulties and wingtip and prop strikes.
Narrative
During my second solo flight in a Cessna 172; I was cleared for landing on Runway 5R. I received ATIS Information Yankee and the conditions seemed suitable for a safe landing. The Tower had warned me of wake turbulence from a preceding aircraft. As I approached the runway; my landing configuration appeared to be in order. However; upon touchdown; the aircraft began to veer left unexpectedly; which I attribute to either the wake turbulence or wind from the right side affecting my ground stability.I attempted a corrective action using right rudder and aileron. This led to an unstable situation where the left wing dipped. Upon correcting; I believe the right wing struck the runway and pulled the propeller down; also striking the runway. I instantly informed the Tower of the situation. I was reminded to turn off all systems and did so. The aircraft was then towed back to the hangar.My decision to proceed with the landing was based on the belief that the wake turbulence would be manageable. It turned out to have had a greater impact on my ground handling than anticipated. Given that it was my second solo flight; my experience in managing the complex dynamics of wake turbulence was limited. I did attempt to correct the situation; but the turbulence effects were more severe than expected; leading to the prop strike. Future training may need to include more comprehensive simulations or scenarios that mimic the effects of wake turbulence; allowing student pilots like me to better prepare for real-world conditions. In hindsight; I would have slowed further in advance so that more time would have passed from the aircraft ahead of me.
Second reporter narrative
My student went out for his second solo flight; winds had been calling out of the east light or calm all morning; however the midfield windsock was calling winds out of the west. The student departed normally; and performed his maneuvers normally without issue. I heard him call on the radio for the return to the airport; and was told to proceed straight into Runway 5R. During the hour he was up; the winds report by the Tower were calm to light and variable to light out of the east. However the midfield windsock was showing winds around 5 knots out of the west.The student reported that his approach was stable and he was cleared to land with a caution for wake turbulence for a landing airliner report from the tower. He entered his flare normally when suddenly and without any other indications the left wing dropped way down. He applied right aileron and rudder to correct for it. Just as rapidly as it started the right wing then dropped hard; and struck the runway; which caused the nose to drop and struck the prop.I believe that a possible cause was a wake turbulence encounter. The Tower is located on a bit of a rise; while the runways are lower than the Tower. Often times the Tower winds are different from the surface winds. Having a plane land 5L with a quartering tailwind is a perfect condition to push that turbulence directly onto 5R. I recommend that at TYS they use a surface wind reading when assigning runways vs a Tower wind reading.
NASA callback
Reporter stated he was surprised by the intensity of the wake.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.