What happened
On the afternoon of 5 January 2026 at Parafield Airport, a student was conducting a series of check flights and assessments with an instructor in a Cessna 172. After completing 2 dual training check flights, the instructor approved the student to conduct a solo circuit flight.
Prior to sending the student on the solo flight, the instructor assessed the student’s adherence to standardised approach criteria from the aircraft’s POH.[1] The instructor also assessed the student’s general and situational emergency competency.
On the day of the occurrence, the student was required to complete 1.0 hours of touch‑and‑go[2] training at the aerodrome in accordance with the flight training syllabus.
The student departed and flew a standard circuit. During landing, the aircraft bounced on the runway and the student applied full power to conduct a missed approach. The aircraft was at a low speed, and at approximately 10 ft above the runway, the student retracted 10° of flap and the left wing stalled. The aircraft entered a further developed left wing drop stall and collided with terrain to the left of the runway.
The student exited the aircraft with no injuries, and the engine cowling caught fire which ignited the surrounding grass. The aircraft was subsequently destroyed by the fire (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Aircraft wreckage
Source: Aerodrome operator, annotated by the ATSB
Safety action
The operator has conducted a thorough audit of internal training records and an organisational review of flight training. Changes have been implemented to the instructor standardisation proficiency reviews and the overall training syllabus (pending CASA approval). Some of these changes include:
- The operator’s current CASA Part 141 flight training approval contains an existing advanced stall training lesson which was approved and implemented by the company syllabus, to be conducted after the first solo; this is consistent with industry standard flight training. The operator has requested approval from CASA to reposition advanced stall training lessons to earlier in the syllabus. If approved, advanced stall training will be completed prior to the first solo check, ensuring fundamentals are better understood. Additionally, the operator will conduct a circuit emergencies lesson prior to the first solo check.
- Recovery from a missed approach and missed landing has been added to circuit consolidation lessons, in addition to the standard lessons within the existing CASA Part 141 flight training syllabus.
- Emergency procedures have been added to the internal student study guide and reinforced through structured briefings, in-flight practice, and post-flight debriefs.
- Standardisation and proficiency checks for flight instructors are mandatory, ensuring compliance with CASA Part 91. Following this occurrence, the operator has required all instructors to undergo immediate additional checks with an added focus on non‑technical skills, threat and error management, stall identification and recovery including advanced stalling. Further focus has been placed on instructors to be vigilant in assessing their students’ overall competency (particularly regarding recovery from missed approaches and emergency procedures).
Safety message
Pilots must ensure that they are continually assessing the aircraft’s airspeed throughout the landing and take-off phases of flight. If the aircraft does not meet the rotation speed outlined in the POH, the take-off roll should be continued until the appropriate rotation speed is reached. Equally, should the aircraft become unstable during approach, a missed approach should be conducted.
A supportive and encouraging environment is recommended for flight schools, especially during the early stages of training. Should students feel inadequate or not confident (despite their proven level of competency), flight instructors are reminded to promote a safety culture that enables self-assessment.
This occurrence also highlights the importance of monitoring and assessing students’ stall understanding and recovery ability prior to any solo flights being authorised and conducted. A thorough understanding of the missed approach procedure is also encouraged.
About this report
Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.