What happened
On 25 June 2016, a Jabiru UL-D, registration G-CDKP, was conducting a training flight at Damyn’s Hall Aerodrome in Essex. The aircraft was occupied by an instructor and a student. During the flight, the crew encountered heavy rain, which led the instructor to decide to terminate the mission.
As the aircraft performed its final approach, it encountered further heavy rainfall. The aircraft landed long on the grass runway. Following the touchdown, the aircraft rolled for a significant distance before the instructor applied the brakes. During this process, the aircraft experienced aquaplaning. In an attempt to avoid hitting a hedge located at the end of the runway, the instructor attempted to steer the aircraft, resulting in the aircraft moving sideways for the final 50 metres of its path. The impact caused damage to the propeller, the nose landing gear, the right side of the fuselage, and the right wing. There were no injuries to the crew.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's landing performance and the runway conditions. Witnesses assessed the ground marks left by the aircraft, determining that the touchdown occurred approximately 70 metres before the end of the runway. At the time, there were 220 metres of grass surface available, including a 150-metre overrun area created by a filled-in ditch. The investigation noted that the aircraft's final 50 metres of travel involved lateral movement. Data from the manufacturer indicated that the required landing distance for this aircraft type over a 15-metre obstacle is 168 metres.