AAIB investigation to Reims Cessna F152, G-BHFI
Inadvertent IMC and CFIT, Wards Stone, Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, 8 September 2020.
Summary:
A student pilot had been briefed to carry out a planned navigation exercise from Blackpool Airport (EGNH) around the local area before returning to Blackpool. About halfway around the route, the pilot attempted to avoid cloud but inadvertently entered IMC and became disorientated. During his attempts to maintain controlled flight, he briefly contacted the ground, but he was able to climb away and, with the assistance of ATC and another aircraft relaying messages, land back at Blackpool.
A report into the event concluded that it was made more likely by: the inexperience of the student pilot; flying below MSA; the pilot not recognising a general deterioration in the weather conditions; and the pilot expecting the weather to improve because it had done so earlier. The training organisation plans to introduce improved training and pre-flight procedures to reduce the risk of this type of accident occurring in the future.
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