EV-97 TeamEurostar UK, G-CDTU, 27 May 2012
EV-97 TeamEurostar UK, G-CDTU
Summary:
The student pilot was landing on Runway 20 as part of a qualifying cross-country exercise. The wind was from 120º at 8 to 9 kt. He rounded-out smoothly with right rudder applied to correct for drift caused by the crosswind. On touchdown he held the stick back and centred the rudder in preparation for lowering the nosewheel. At this point the aircraft weathercocked to the left, possibly due to a gust. When he tried to compensate by applying right rudder, he found that it was ineffective due to the low speed and, with the nose still raised, the aircraft ran off the left side of the runway and into a ploughed field. The rough ground bent the nosewheel back and the propeller struck the ground.
The student said he had learned to lower the nose earlier to maintain control as rudder effectiveness decreases.
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