Hard Landing, Prop Strike and Pressure Not to Report
During a solo circuit at a controlled aerodrome, a student pilot lands hard. The aircraft porpoises, the propeller strikes the runway, and the aircraft taxis in with curled prop tips and a wrinkled firewall. The student is uninjured but shaken. The instructor inspects the aircraft, tells the student to put it in the hangar, and says 'no one was hurt, so we'll let maintenance handle it and keep it out of the reports.' The school's safety manager agrees, saying the damage is below the insurance excess and an internal report is enough. The aircraft's maintenance provider is due the next morning. The student's logbook has not yet been endorsed for the flight, and the tower has asked whether an occurrence report will be filed.
1. How should the occurrence be classified under the TAIC/CAA framework, and who must be notified?
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A hard landing with a propeller strike and firewall wrinkling is likely an accident rather than a mere incident, because it involves substantial damage to the aircraft. The absence of injury does not make it a non-event. The Civil Aviation Act and TAIC Act definitions distinguish accidents from incidents by injury and damage, and the operator/PIC must notify the TAIC and the CAA as required. The aerodrome and ATC may also need to be informed. The tower's question should be answered honestly. Notification is a statutory safety duty, not an admission of fault. The school's insurance excess is irrelevant to the legal notification threshold. If the classification is genuinely uncertain, report it and let the authorities decide; do not decide the threshold yourself to avoid paperwork.
2. What are the risks of following the instructor's and safety manager's approach?
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Concealing or delaying the report risks prosecution, licence action and an unsafe aircraft returning to service. If the aircraft is moved or repaired before inspection, evidence may be destroyed. The student is learning from the instructor's example; hiding a report undermines the safety culture the instructor is supposed to model. An internal report does not satisfy statutory notification. If the CAA later learns of the event through ATC, maintenance or the student, the instructor's supervisory accountability and the organisation's Part 141 certification are exposed. Privileged information protections are not a shield for deliberate concealment. The instructor should escalate the disagreement rather than accept a quiet internal fix.
3. What immediate actions should the instructor take to preserve evidence and meet duty-of-care obligations?
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Secure the aircraft and do not allow maintenance to repair or move it without authority. Photograph the propeller, firewall and runway area. Preserve the technical log, flight folio, student's logbook and any ATC recordings. Make factual notes while they are fresh. Ensure the student is medically checked if needed and is not sent solo again until fit. Notify the chief instructor and the operator's safety system, and make the TAIC/CAA notifications promptly. Brief the student honestly, document the debrief, and cooperate with investigators. Do not coach the student to minimise the event or to describe it as a normal landing. Duty of care includes protecting the student from pressure to conceal the occurrence.