Accident to the Diamond DA40 registered F-HDGB on 27/09/2023 at Montpellier-Méditerranée
Damage to nose gear during fourth attempt to land, rejected landing, in supervised solo flight
After carrying out five runway circuits with her instructor, the student pilot started her first solo flight. During the final approach, the aeroplane was high on the approach slope and the student pilot rejected the approach.
This was followed by three more attempts to land, all of which ended in rejected landings due to the aeroplane bouncing. During the fourth landing, the student pilot probably flared too high, the aeroplane bounced and then the nose gear came into contact with the runway first, causing damage to it. She rejected the landing.
An instructor in another aeroplane from the same training organisation (ATO) then took the initiative to join the student pilot in flight and give her instructions. Aided by these instructions, the student pilot managed to land on her fifth attempt.
The ATO had identified that the student pilot’s progress was not optimal. Three weeks earlier, the student pilot had been involved in an incident (tail contact with runway during landing) in instruction. The student pilot was entrusted to a more experienced instructor who carried out three flights with her before her first supervised solo flight.
The detailed instructions given on the frequency by the instructor on board the aeroplane which joined the student pilot’s aeroplane contributed to the success of the final landing.