Date:	Tuesday 27 June 2017
Time:	11:00
Type:	Aero AT-3 R100
Owner/operator:	Sywell Aerodrome Ltd
Registration:	G-SYEL
MSN:	AT3-019
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Northampton/Sywell Aerodrome (ORM/EGBK) -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Northampton/Sywell Aerodrome (ORM/EGBK)
Destination airport:	Northampton/Sywell Aerodrome (ORM/EGBK)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
AAIB investigation to Aero AT 3 R100, G-SYEL: Substantially damaged due to nose landing gear collapsed following several bounces on landing at Sywell Airfield, Hall Farm, Sywell, Northamptonshire, 27 June 2017. The incident was the subject of an AAIB Investigation, and the following is the summary from the AAIB Report:

"The student pilot had been briefed to fly a first solo circuit. The weather was: wind 090º/6 kt, visibility 10 km, cloud overcast at 1,500 ft. Runway 05 was in use which was 602 m long and 30 m wide and had a grass surface. The aircraft departed normally and established on the downwind leg at 900 ft aal, where the pilot lowered the first stage of flap. Light rain had moved into the circuit which reduced the visibility but the circuit was completed and, when established on finals, full flap was lowered at about 65 kt. The instructor, who was monitoring the circuit, and the pilot both thought the approach was normal but the touchdown, although smooth, was flat and, following several bounces, the nose landing gear collapsed and the aircraft came to a stop. The pilot switched off the fuel and electrics and vacated the aircraft.

The pilot thought that the approach was slightly fast and the touchdown may have resulted in a Pilot Induced Oscillation (PIO) leading to the nose landing gear collapsing. Also, the deterioration in the weather made the pilot reluctant to go around".

=Damage Sustained to airframe=
Per the above AAIB Report "Nose gear collapsed and two propeller tips damaged". The aircraft was repaired and returned to service, but was damaged in a later incident (also at Sywell) on 24 September 2009 - in very similar circumstances (damaged in a "bounced" landing). A further "bounced" landing at Sywell on 16 January 2022 was the "last straw" and the end for G-SYEL, which had its registration cancelled by the CAA (with the airframe de-registered) on 13 November 2023 as "Permanently withdrawn from use"

1. AAIB Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/59afee78e5274a180e3705db/Aero_AT_3_R100_G-SYEL_09-17.pdf
2. Incident 24 September 2009: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422eb6be5274a1317000079/Aero_AT-3_R100__G-SYEL_02-10.pdf
3. Incident 16 January 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/aaib-record-only-investigations-january-february-2022/aaib-record-only-investigations-reviewed-january-february-2022
4. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/G-SYEL.html
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sywell_Aerodrome

This Aero AT-3 100 was built in 2006, and first registered (from new) as G-SYEL on 21 August 2006 to Sywell Aerodrome Ltd (the aircraft\\\'s one-and-only owner).

After the incident at Sywell on 17 June 2017, the aircraft was repaired and returned to service, but was damaged in a later incident (also at Sywell) on 24 September 2009 - in very similar circumstances (damaged in a \"bounced\" landing). A further \"bounced\" landing at Sywell on 16 January 2022 was the \"last straw\" and the end for G-SYEL, which had its registration cancelled by the CAA (with the airframe de-registered) on 13 November 2023 as \"Permanently withdrawn from use\". As at 31 December 2022, G-SYEL had accumulated a total of 2211 flying hours on the airframe.

Aero AT-3 100 G-SYEL at Sywell, Northamptonshire (ORM/EGBK) 8 August 2019

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Jun-2024 12:24	Dr. John Smith	Added
03-Jun-2024 12:25	ASN	Updated [Accident report, ]