Europa XS Accident at Hollym Airfield (G-BYSA)

Accident Overview and Aircraft Details On 10 August 2016 at 1015 UTC, a Europa XS, registration G-BYSA, was destroyed when it fell into the sea at Hollym Airfield in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The aircraft, manufactured in 2000, was powered by a single Rotax 912 ULS piston engine. The pilot, a 60-year-old private pilot with 918 total hours, sustained minor injuries during the incident. The flight was a private operation with no passengers on board. The accident was reported through an Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot. ## Flight History and Landing Sequence The pilot had previously landed at Hollym Airfield, an unlicensed grass airfield near Withernsea, on four occasions. After contacting the airfield operator for permission, the pilot observed a windsock indicating a surface wind from 310° at less than 10 knots and elected to land on Runway 32, which he had last used four years prior. During the landing roll, the pilot heard a noise from the right side of the aircraft, which then slewed to the right. Despite attempts to control the aircraft and apply braking, the aircraft rolled out on the extreme right side of the runway. As the aircraft slowed, the tailwheel went over the edge of the cliff, and the aircraft fell tail-first into the sea at low speed. ## Emergency Response and Pilot Egress The accident was not witnessed by anyone else, so emergency services were not initially alerted. The pilot escaped from the aircraft and, after a few minutes, retrieved and activated his 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). Approximately thirty minutes later, he made his way up the cliff to a nearby house. Help arrived shortly after, and the pilot was transferred to hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The UK Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC) was alerted to the beacon activation at 1036 UTC, with a further satellite pass at 1056 UTC required to resolve the beacon's location. A land-based Coastguard rescue team was tasked to the area at 1108 UTC, followed by the deployment of RNLI lifeboats and a SAR helicopter. ## Airfield Conditions and Safety Actions Hollym Airfield is an unlicensed grass airfield that requires prior permission to land. The pilot noted that when he last used Runway 32 four years earlier, the mown runway strip was bounded by significant fallow ground on both sides, providing margin for error. However, coastal erosion in the area averages two metres per year, with the cliff on the right of the runway being undermined by the sea and collapsing in stages. This erosion had moved the runway to the left until it abutted the fence, while the sea continued to erode the ground to the right of the runway. At the time of the accident, the runway was reported as 15 metres wide in flight guides, but the pilot determined following the accident that the initial portion was approximately 14 metres wide. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) guidance in CAP 793 recommends a minimum runway width of 18 metres for light aircraft with a Maximum Take-Off Mass of less than 2730 kg. Following the accident, the airfield operator informed flight guide publishers that the runway width was now 10 metres and requested a warning to 'Beware cliffs on the east side of the airfield'. The Light Aircraft Association included the accident in their October 2016 'Safety Spot' feature to advise members of the circumstances.