Background
On 13 September 2020, at 0900 UTC, an Ikarus C42 FB80 microlight aircraft, registration G-CFHP, was involved in an accident at a private airstrip in Porthtowan, Cornwall. The aircraft was being used for a training flight, with a commander acting as a flight instructor and examiner. The commander held a Private Pilot's Licence and had 6,516 total flying hours, including 2,916 hours on type. The student on board was undergoing a test to renew a lapsed licence.
Flight History
The flight initially consisted of a successful upper air exercise. The return to Perranporth Airfield was delayed due to a parachute jump scheduled there. The commander decided to demonstrate the 'Beat Method' for a practice forced landing (PFL) at the private airstrip in Porthtowan, intending to complete the procedure with a go-around. The maneuver was initiated from 1,500 ft above ground level, approximately one-third of a nautical mile from the downwind threshold of Runway 21. Feeling the aircraft was high for the remaining distance, the commander immediately selected full flap to steepen the descent. He performed a series of turns, eventually positioning the aircraft on a right base leg into the wind from 200° at 5 kt. The planned final approach required only a 20° right turn to align with the runway.
Power cables ran across the approach path near the threshold of Runway 22. The commander intended to turn onto the runway track after crossing these cables. The aircraft cleared the cables at an estimated height of 30 to 40 ft above ground level. The commander noted that the wind was stronger than anticipated, causing the aircraft to glide less far, resulting in a lower crossing height. After clearing the cables, the commander initiated a right turn with 30–35° angle of bank. During this turn, the right landing gear wheel spat struck a perimeter fence approximately 5 ft tall at the edge of the airstrip. The fence arrested the aircraft's forward motion, turning it 90° to the right, after which it struck the ground heavily. The aircraft sustained damage to the nose landing gear leg, both wings, and engine cowling. Neither occupant was injured, and both exited the aircraft unaided.
Airfield Information
Porthtowan is a private grass airstrip with a single runway, Runway 03/21, approximately 500 m in length. The commander was familiar with the airstrip and had operated there many times, and was aware of the power cables near the Runway 22 threshold.
Personnel Information
The commander was experienced on the airfield and in the aircraft type. During the demonstration, the student noticed that the flight path was unusual and believed that a go-around would have been appropriate had he been in control, but he had confidence in the commander and did not call for a go-around. The commander later stated that he likely experienced cognitive tunnelling—a phenomenon where attention is intensely focused on a specific task, to the exclusion of broader situational awareness.
Analysis
The commander's early selection of full flap steepened the glide path significantly, reducing options to adjust the approach. His attention became fixated on clearing the power cables, leading to a lower-than-planned crossing altitude. After clearing the cables, the aircraft was positioned left of the intended approach path, requiring a more aggressive turn at low height. The turn at approximately 35° angle of bank below 40 ft agl increased the rate of descent and workload. In retrospect, the commander believed that an earlier turn to final, a landing further down the runway, or a go-around at any point would have avoided the accident. The BMAA Instructors and Examiners Guide recommends that aircraft should be wings-level on final approach by 200 ft agl and that bank angles should not exceed 30°; these guidelines were not followed.
Conclusion
The commander's attention became focused on the power cables to the extent that he probably experienced a cognitive tunnelling effect. As a result, he did not recognise the inappropriate nature of his flight path and did not take corrective action by initiating a go-around. During the turn to final at low height, the aircraft struck a fence, which arrested its flight and caused it to land heavily.
Safety Actions
The British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) will review the advice to instructors regarding the conduct of practice forced landings, with particular emphasis on early initiation of a go-around if the plan is not working as expected.