Incident Overview
On 6 August 2015, a Diamond DA40NG aircraft landed on runway 06 (DS 06) at the Żerniki airstrip. The aircraft touched down with a float of approximately 300 m, which placed the touchdown point at around the midpoint of the runway. Despite immediate braking, the landing roll ended 10 m beyond the end of the runway. The overrun resulted in a fracture of the nose gear leg and damage to the propeller. After touchdown, the pilot retracted the flaps to increase braking effectiveness.
Occupants and Injuries
The aircraft was occupied by four persons. All four sustained no injuries.
Cause and Contributing Factors
The cause of the incident was an error in planning the approach to landing under conditions of weak, variable wind, which led to a touchdown with a 300 m float.
Contributing factors included:
- An approach speed of 85 kt instead of the recommended 77 kt. According to the Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM), higher approach speeds result in significantly longer landing distance during the flare.
- High density altitude of 817 m (actual airstrip elevation is 82 m) due to a high ambient temperature of 35 °C.
- Landing with a mass close to the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) on a 618 m long runway. The AFM specifies that the landing distance from a 15 m obstacle with MTOW under standard conditions is 639 m, with a landing roll of 310 m.
Damage
The incident resulted in structural damage: the nose gear leg was broken and the propeller was damaged.
Preventive Measures and Recommendations
No preventive measures were proposed, and the investigative commission did not formulate any safety recommendations.