What happened
On 31 October 2015, a Jabiru UL, registration G-RYAL, was conducting a private flight at Sandtoft Airfield in North Lincolnshire. The pilot, who had recently acquired the aircraft, intended to practice circuits at the airfield. During the approach to Runway 23, the pilot aimed to touch down at the start of the paved surface rather than at the actual runway threshold, which is displaced by 190 m.
As the aircraft descended on short final, the pilot experienced a loss of altitude and briefly applied power to climb. During this maneuver, the aircraft's tailplane collided with a lamp post. The impact caused the aircraft to pitch nose-down, leading it to strike a road before sliding approximately 35 m and coming to a stop against the airfield perimeter fence. The accident resulted in two serious injuries, affecting both the pilot and the passenger. The aircraft was destroyed.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight path and the pilot's approach strategy. It was established that the pilot was attempting to land at the beginning of the paved area to maximize available runway length due to previous experiences with 'float' during landings. CCTV footage captured the moment the tailplane made contact with the lighting column. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's familiarity with the specific airfield layout and the implications of the displaced threshold.