What happened
On February 5, 2015, a Beechcraft Baron BE58 landed on runway 28 at EPPO airport under visibility conditions that were below the required minimums. According to the airport's visibility monitoring system, the runway visual range (RVR) at the time of landing was measured at 275 meters at the threshold of runway 28, and decreased to 250 meters in both the mid-point and touchdown zones of the runway.
The pilot was operating the aircraft to transport urgent medical supplies. The pilot had initially intended to perform a missed approach/go-around if the RVR conditions were confirmed to be below minimums. However, during the final approach to runway 28, the pilot established visual contact with the terrain and approach lights well above the minimum required visibility and subsequently decided to continue the approach and land.
The investigation
The investigation was conducted by the operator in cooperation with the Polish State Commission on Aircraft Accident Investigation (PKBWL) and the Austrian Basic Investigation Commission. The investigation focused on the pilot's decision-making process regarding the approach and the actual visibility measurements recorded by the airport's automated systems during the landing sequence.