SR22
Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Training / Qualification
Ground Event / Encounter Ground Strike - Aircraft; Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Regained Aircraft Control; General Maintenance Action
Human Factors
The purpose of this report is to describe the event of a prop strike. The incident occurred while a student pilot was flying a long solo cross country. This report is being told from the perspective of the student's flight instructor. About a week ago I endorsed my student to take his long solo cross country flight. The route would be ZZZ1 to ZZZ2 to ZZZ to ZZZ3 with a full stop at ZZZ3. After the stop at ZZZ3 the student would return back to ZZZ1. On the leg coming back to ZZZ1; it would most likely be dark; however; I had endorsed my student for solo night flight a few days prior as long as the route was to ZZZ1 since that is where we had done most of our dual night training. As for the weather; it was within the student pilot's limitations for the entire route of flight. My first hearing of the strike was from an email my student forwarded to me from a mechanic that was to do work on a cracked wheel pant. Included in the email was the mentioning of how the prop needed to be looked at as well. This struck me as odd--I knew about the wheel pant; but what is this about a prop? I asked my student if he recalled a prop strike and he did not. My first seeing of the prop was a text sent from a fellow instructor. From the picture; it was obvious all three blades were bent. I asked my student again if he recalled the prop strike. Surely he would have noticed/felt something that would have caused the prop tips to be bent nearly 3 inches backwards. My assumption was that it happened landing back at ZZZ1 in the dark. My thought was that he was coming in fast; too fast; and porpoised the aircraft attempting to land. After the strike during one of the oscillations; he taxied of the runway; parked the plane; and went home. The idea being that he never noticed the prop. He told me he did remember a landing being rough; but not at ZZZ1; at ZZZ. He was cleared to land behind another plane and did feel like he was coming in a little fast. He recalled he actually bounced the landing pretty significantly. We can only assume that was when it happened; because his landing at ZZZ1 he claimed was pretty smooth. But wait a minute; ZZZ was in the middle of the entire flight. How could he have had the prop strike; not feel it; and then fly all the way back to ZZZ1 with still no noticing of the bent prop tips? The answer is 'I really have no idea'. Honestly; because I have never had a prop strike myself; I would not know precisely how it would feel. I could only imagine it would not fly very well. Where do we go from here? My plan is to meet with my student and go over a few things. First; is that need not worry about reporting the incident to the FAA or NTSB because a prop strike is not considered 'substantial damage'. Second; will be a review of the NTSB sections of the FAR/AIM. Lastly; (after the plane is brought back to an airworthy condition) some remedial training on 'landing without prop striking' will take place. I do hope that this incident serves as a major teaching moment for both my student and myself. We are lucky that nobody was hurt from this prop strike. I plan to use this in instructing my other students on the dangers of significantly hard landings and how to avoid them.
Cirrus SR22 Flight Instructor reported solo student 'porpoised' the aircraft on landing resulting in a prop strike.