The report doesn’t blame the pilot, who suffered severe injuries but survived.
The report, designed not to assign blame but to prevent future occurrences, reminds pilots of “the importance of being vigilant upon landing to quickly detect any signs that a go-around is required, and to be able to initiate the go-around at the appropriate time.”
The incident was captured on video. The Cessna, which was trying to climb from very low altitude after an aborted landing, could be seen climbing as it crossed the runway at low speed, then banking to the left and plunging to the ground before crashing.
The pilot, who was alone on board, was inexperienced. He had started theoretical training for his piloting course on March 13, 2023, and his flight training on March 28.
At the time of the event, four months and four days later, the pilot had accumulated 23.7 hours of dual-control flight time, the report states.
“During his training, he had been supervised by three different instructors. After completing two progress monitoring flights, on May 25 and July 5, 2023, he completed several flights with a third instructor, who recommended him for a pre-solo evaluation flight,” the report explains.
At the time of his evaluation, on July 26, the instructor who supervised him noted “certain deficiencies, particularly with respect to the approach, maintaining airspeed, attitude, and movements,” according to the TSB report.
“Three additional correction flights were required, the last of which took place on Aug. 1, 2023. Following these three flights, the pilot was recommended for his first solo flight, and this recommendation was approved by the check instructor who had conducted the pre-solo evaluation flight on July 26.”
The troubled landing began when the plane touched down with its nose wheel first, causing it to bounce before touching down again about 350 feet further down the runway.
“An uncontrolled lateral deviation followed, and the aircraft veered off the left side of the runway,” it says. “The student pilot then initiated a go-around. The aircraft took off again, and the student pilot attempted to regain altitude over the grassy area between the runway and Taxiway D, while gradually turning toward the airport terminal building. At that time, the aircraft was in slow flight and still near the ground.”
Realizing he was heading toward the terminal, the pilot turned the plane to the right, back toward the runway. It climbed to about 45 feet before the left turn caused the wing to stall and the plane to roll into a spin and crash in an almost vertical, nose-down position.
There was no fire and emergency services arrived in less than four minutes, the report says.
The Cessna 152 aircraft belonged to the Orizon Aviation flight school. A few days after the accident, it put in place a procedure stipulating that if a student pilot fails his first pre-solo evaluation, he must be evaluated again by a check instructor following corrective flights before be authorized to make their first solo flight.
The TSB also emphasizes that “the weather conditions were suitable for a flight … and are not considered a contributing factor in this event” and that the pilot was wearing his seat belt.