The investigation team of the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) today (September 3) published the final report (1/2018) of the investigation into an accident involving a Cessna 152 aircraft (registration mark B-HPA) operated by a student pilot of the Hong Kong Aviation Club (HKAC) at Shek Kong Airfield on May 21, 2016.
The accident occurred during the landing of a solo training flight, when the aircraft bounced and lifted into the air. Upon its second touch-down, the nose wheel of the aircraft hit the ground heavily, which resulted in the propeller striking and collapsing the nose landing gear. The aircraft finally stopped on the runway in a nose-down position. The student pilot was uninjured.
"After the accident, the Chief Inspector of Accidents ordered an inspector's investigation in accordance with the Hong Kong Civil Aviation (Investigation of Accidents) Regulations (Chapter 448 sub-legislation B). The sole purpose of the investigation was to determine the circumstances and the possible causes of the accident in order to prevent future recurrence," a CAD spokesperson said.
The investigation was conducted by a team of professional accident investigators in strict adherence to the international standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization. The investigation report contains an analysis of the circumstances of the accident, and reveals that possibly, due to the startle factor, the published balked landing procedures had not been properly adhered to due to delay, deviation or lapse, resulting in the accident. The investigation team made three safety recommendations in respect of enhancement of training on balked landing procedures and a mechanism for assessment of student pilots' performance by the HKAC.
Throughout the accident investigation, all parties concerned were given ample opportunities to comment on the report, and they do not have further comment on the report.
The report is available for downloading from the CAD's website (www.cad.gov.hk/english/reports.html).
Follow this news feed: East Asia