History of the Flight
The aircraft departed Ronaldsway, Isle of Man, on 21 November 2003 and arrived at Weston Aerodrome (EIWT) at 16:05 hrs that day. On 22 November, it flew to City of Derry Airport, with the pilot informing the control tower of a planned return to Weston the following day. On 23 November, the flight to EIWT was uneventful under fine VFR weather conditions. The pilot joined left downwind for Runway 25 as advised by the tower and performed normal pre-landing checks. One other aircraft was in the circuit.
Upon turning final for Runway 25, the pilot immediately noticed the setting sun ahead but believed he identified the runway. He was advised by the tower that the other aircraft had vacated the runway and was cleared to land at his discretion. He continued a stabilised approach, aware of pools of water on the runway which further reduced visibility. After flaring and touching down, he felt a rough surface and realized he had landed on an uncompleted taxiway parallel to Runway 25. Attempting to turn off onto a grass verge, the right main landing gear struck a depression beside the taxiway and sheared off. The aircraft slid to a halt. The pilot shut down the engine, turned off the master switch and magnetos, and ensured all three passengers evacuated safely via normal exits. Emergency services arrived but were not needed. No injuries were reported.
Damage to the Aircraft
The right main landing gear sheared off upon impact with a depression beside the grass verge. The rear fuselage cone area sustained considerable damage, and the stabilizer had minor damage. The starboard wing was perforated behind its fuel tank.
Personnel Information
The 44-year-old pilot held a UK PPL and had 327 total flight hours, with 183 hours on type. He attributed the accident to reduced forward visibility from turning final into the sun, leading to misidentification of the parallel taxiway under construction as Runway 25. The reflection of sunlight from standing water on the incomplete taxiway further impaired visibility. He reported landing at about 80 knots, and while decelerating through 30 knots, the starboard undercarriage impacted a 2-foot-wide trench, slewing the aircraft. The pilot had obtained pre-flight briefing services at Ronaldsway on 21 November, where NOTAMs were available, and filed a flight plan. At Derry, he filed a flight plan for the return but did not seek additional briefing. He was a regular visitor to EIWT and was aware of ongoing construction but was never officially informed of the works during pre-flight briefings.
Meteorological Information
The pilot reported wind 240°/10 kt, visibility greater than 10 km, no significant weather, and few clouds at 2,500 ft.
Aerodrome Information
EIWT is a VFR-only aerodrome 150 ft AMSL, 8 NM west of Dublin, with CAT 2 rescue and firefighting services. Runway 25/07 is bitumen/macadam, 799 m long and 23.5 m wide, classified as Reference Code 1A per ICAO Annex 14. The aerodrome is licensed for public use by the IAA. Relevant regulations (ALM 003 and ALM 002) require reporting of construction or maintenance work to the Authority and air traffic service units, but these requirements were not followed for the works at EIWT.
Aeronautical Information Services
ICAO Annex 15 obliges states to provide aeronautical information for safety. In Ireland, the IAA publishes such information via AIP Supplements and NOTAMs. The AIS had not been informed of the intended works at EIWT. A NOTAM (A1660/04) covering the work-in-progress was issued in November 2004, effective until March 2005.
Discussion
The pilot's assessment identified reduced visibility from a low sun and standing water on the unfinished taxiway as the cause of the misidentification, along with a lack of situational awareness in continuing the approach without visual cues such as runway markings. The regulation for lower-category aerodromes (ALM 003) left reporting of works to the discretion of aerodrome management, unlike the stricter requirement in ALM 002.
Conclusions
The aircraft was landed on a taxiway under construction, resulting in serious damage to the starboard wing and rear fuselage. The causes were misidentification of the parallel taxiway as Runway 25 and lack of situational awareness during approach and landing.