INCIDENT REPORTS IN BRIEF


STRESS OVERLOAD Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga SP 28 August 2017 Faversham Road, Seasalter, Kent


WHEN THE WARNING DOESN’T RING A BELL Diamond DA42 TwinStar 22 August 2017 Coventry Airport


As part of a Multi-Engine Piston Flight Instructor’s course the pilot under training was introduced to asymmetric handling. As one engine was operated at 10% of engine load to give zero thrust, the landing gear warning horn sounded continuously. The pilot under training then joined for a flapless landing with the engine still at zero thrust. Although, the commander believed he had verified the landing gear was down, the TwinStar landed gear-up. The commander noted that the landing gear warning horn had been operating for ten minutes prior to landing and, having grown accustomed to the sound, this might have led to his failure to recognise that the landing gear wasn’t down.


LEFT BEHIND… Nipper T.66 RA45 Series 3 17 October 2017 RAF Henlow, Bedfordshire


The pilot was stowing the restraining strap and chocks in the cockpit with the engine at idle, but as he leaned into the cockpit to secure them he inadvertently advanced the throttle and the Nipper moved forward. He attempted to stop it by holding the left wing and guided it onto a grassed area next to the hangars, but the Nipper completed three full rotations before the pilot had to let go and it struck the hangar doors damaging the propeller, wings, engine cowling and rudder.


The pilot noticed that the alternator light was lit and troubleshooting the problem didn’t resolve it as the electrical systems progressively failed. The pilot briefed his passengers and landed in a field. The right wheel ‘stuck in the mud’ before the landing gear detached. In hindsight, the pilot said he could have landed at an airfield but the number of problems restricted his thinking. CAA Safety Sense Leaflet 23, Pilots – it’s your decision provides information on human performance limitations and there is a significant amount of published information regarding human factors, highlighting the decision-making limitations under high workload.


FIREFLY RIDDLE Kolb FireFly 20 June 2017 Luffenhall, Hertfordshire


Approximately one mile from the runway after take-off the FireFly entered a steep descending left turn and hit the ground vertically. CCTV footage analysis confirmed that immediately before the final manoeuvre its speed was above the predicted stall speed. The investigation was unable to identify any defect which would have prevented the aircraft from responding normally to control inputs. It’s highly unlikely, therefore, that a stall or spin entry was a factor. It is not known why the FireFly departed from what appeared to be level and controlled flight.


WHY CHECKLISTS MATTER Eurofox 912(IS) 28 May 2017 Near Puddletown, Wareham, Dorset


The glider tug’s engine stopped abruptly at about 300ft while launching a glider. The pilot released the towrope and turned back towards the airfield and despite two attempts, he was unsuccessful in restarting the


engine. The Eurofox hit a tall shrub outside the airfield boundary and landed backwards in long grass. The electronic injection engine had recently been installed to replace a carburetted version and required a different restart procedure. The pilot said he had forgotten to perform one step of the restart checklist in the limited time available.


WHEN WELDS FAIL


Taylor Titch 14 October 2017 Ripe-Kittyhawk Farm Airfield, Sussex


The pilot was landing at an airfield he had flown into on numerous occasions and, after an apparently normal touchdown, the landing gear collapsed and the Titch slid along the ground on its underside for several metres. The landing gear collapse was due to the centre reinforcing bracket in the landing gear attachment breaking due to a failure in a welded joint. It had made 605 landings prior to the collapse so it’s likely that fatigue within the weakened welds led to the eventual bracket failure.


TAXYING TROUBLES Piper J3C-65 Cub 20 September 2017 Saltford, Bath


Following a short flight to a private grass airstrip the pilot completed a crosswind landing and taxied toward the hangar to the north of the runway. Still on the runway, the aircraft veered to the left and the left wing strut hit a fence post, damaging the strut, upper cockpit frame and propeller. The pilot thought the cause was a “mismanagement of rudder, brakes and throttle” during the taxi.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON INCIDENT REPORTS, VISIT AAIB.GOV.UK 42 CLUED UP Summer 2018


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