What happened
On 20 July 2019, an ICP Ventura, registration EI-GHS, was performing a general aviation flight from Kilkeel Airfield to its home base at Tubride Airfield, Co. Meath. While approaching the easterly runway (RWY 09) for a landing, the aircraft was in the flare phase when the left wing suddenly dropped and made contact with the ground.
Following the wing strike, the nose landing gear hit a prominent hillock on the runway, causing the assembly to detach from the aircraft. The plane then slid approximately 20 meters on its nose cowling, which destroyed the propeller blades. Despite the substantial damage to the airframe and propeller, there were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger on board.
The investigation
Investigators from the AAIU examined the aircraft and the accident site to determine the sequence of events. The inspection of the runway revealed impact marks indicating that the left wing struck the surface 73.5 meters from the threshold, followed by a heavy nose impact 5 meters later.
The investigation also reviewed the aircraft's condition, noting significant buckling on the left wing skin and damage to the engine and fuselage cowlings. Meteorological data from Met Éireann was analyzed, showing surface winds varying between 5 knots from the southwest and northwest at the time of the incident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the wing drop was attributed to possible sudden wind shear during the flare.
- The difficulty in correcting for the wind shear was likely made worse by the runway's upward gradient and the presence of a significant hillock on the landing strip.
- The impact with the hillock directly led to the separation of the nose landing gear from the ICP Ventura.