Accident Details
On 29 July 2015 at 1230 UTC, a private flight involving an EV-97 Teameurostar UK Eurostar (registration G-CEDX) experienced an incident during landing at Dunkeswell Airfield, Devon. The aircraft was on a flight from Gloucestershire Airport to Culdrose, with a planned refueling stop at Dunkeswell. The pilot, holding a National Private Pilot’s Licence, was the sole occupant and reported no injuries. The aircraft sustained damage to the left aileron.
Flight History
The flight from Gloucestershire was uneventful. On arrival at Dunkeswell, the pilot flew an approach to Runway 35 with three stages of flap set. Noting a strong crosswind from the left, the pilot performed a crabbing approach, which was aborted at about 100 ft due to what the pilot described as instability. A go-around was carried out. The pilot then observed the wind was from approximately 270° and that Runway 22 was more into wind. With approval, the pilot made an approach to Runway 22, again with three stages of flap. Just before touchdown, a gust of wind caused the aircraft to bank to the left, and the left aileron struck the ground. The pilot executed a go-around and subsequently diverted to Exeter Airport. Due to turbulence on approach to Runway 26 at Exeter, the pilot conducted a handling check and returned to Gloucester, landing safely.
Post-Incident Discussion
The pilot discussed the incident with an instructor, who suggested that a flapless approach, with the higher resultant airspeed, would have been more appropriate for the wind conditions encountered.