L2021-01 Runway Excursion during Touch-and-go on Instructional Flight at Lahti-Vesivehmaa Aerodrome on February 7, 2021

In a wintry afternoon on February 7, 2021, a student pilot and his instructor were conducting a touch-and-go in a Cessna 150 airplane at Lahti-Vesivehmaa aerodrome. The cloudy weather and snow-covered runway combined to make the edges of the runway difficult to discern. To compensate for right crosswind, the airplane was crabbed to the right, and crab was maintained on touchdown. During the ground run, the instructor focused on monitoring the flap position indicator, and neither pilot was aware of the airplane’s drift to the right. Neither pilot took action to decrab the airplane, and as a result the airplane hit a snow bank bordering the right edge of the runway and ended up inverted. There were no injuries, but the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

Vehicles proceeded onto the runway after the accident. Clearing of the accident site was begun before the occurrence was reported to an air traffic services unit and the Safety Investigation Authority Finland. Two airplanes approached the aerodrome while this work was in progress. The pilot of the first airplane observed vehicles and people on the runway but estimated that sufficient clearance was available for a safe landing. The pilot of the second airplane elected to delay landing until the runway was clear.

Deficiencies were noted in the flight school’s emergency response plan, which had not been tested in exercises. The school had not ensured the consistent progress of the student's training; as a result, he moved to the flight instruction phase after a limited amount of theoretical knowledge instruction. Since he lacked theoretical knowledge of the subjects of air exercises, learning outcome remained non-optimal. In addition, a deviation from the prescribed order of the air exercises, albeit permitted, led to a situation where the student had skipped flights that would have been essential for bettering his preparedness for touch-and-goes. Winter conditions that existed during the flight were demanding in view of the student’s training and skill level. Although the school’s hazard log included the possibility of runway excursions, related risk management actions did not sufficiently address winter conditions on an uncontrolled aerodrome.

The SIAF issued the following safety recommendations:

• The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom should inform persons and organizations involved in aviation of the reporting procedure that is described in Advisory Circular GEN T1-4 and should be followed in the event of an accident or a serious incident. It is also recommended that these persons and organizations are reminded of an appropriate course of action in order to preserve evidence related to the accident site and the accident aircraft.

• The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom should review the update status of the emergency response plans of approved training organizations, the arrangements of emergency training, the correctness of the prescribed reporting procedures, and instructions related to the preservation of evidence.

• The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom should instruct approved training organizations operating from uncontrolled aerodromes to review and if necessary update their hazard logs for the effects of winter conditions. It is also recommended that the agency ensures that risk management actions mentioned in hazard logs are included in the manuals and operation of the training organizations.

• The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) establishes the minimum requirements for theoretical knowledge instruction before the commencement of flight instruction. It is also recommended that agency lays down a requirement that approved training organizations shall describe, in writing and in an unambiguous manner, acceptable reasons for deviations from the prescribed order of air exercises before the solo flight phase. These reasons shall be based on risk assessment.