What happened
On 10 November 2016, a BN2A Mk III-2 Trislander, registration G-RLON, was involved in a serious incident at Alderney Airport in the Channel Islands. The aircraft was engaged in a commercial passenger flight with one crew member and nine passengers on board. During the process of vacating Runway 26 following a rejected takeoff, the aircraft struck a runway edge light.
Upon realizing the light had been hit, the pilot performed a visual check of the aircraft. Finding no visible damage to the airframe or the tyres, the commander elected to proceed with the scheduled flight. After the aircraft departed, the Airport Fire Service identified a gouge in the grass near the runway, which suggested the possibility of a flat tyre.
The investigation
Following the report from Air Traffic Control regarding the ground damage, the pilot conducted a further visual inspection by flying past the control tower at Guernsey Airport. This inspection revealed no apparent damage to the aircraft. The flight concluded without further incident, and the aircraft landed safely.
Subsequent inspections by maintenance engineers were performed on the aircraft. These technical examinations found no evidence of damage resulting from the encounter with the runway light.