What happened
On 30 August 2020, a Pelican PL, registration G-MPAC, was conducting a private flight from Oxenhope Airfield in Yorkshire to Stoke Golding Airfield in Warwickshire. Upon arrival at Stoke Golding, the pilot attempted to land on Runway 08. The approach was performed at 58 knots, which was higher than the target speed of 50 knots. This excess speed, combined with the additional weight of a passenger, led to a protracted flare and a deep landing approximately halfway down the runway.
The pilot misjudged the available runway length, believing the strip was 585 m rather than 52 and 5 m. Despite applying maximum braking, the aircraft failed to decelerate sufficiently due to the downhill slope of the runway, a lack of headwind, and the short grass surface. The aircraft overran the runway at approximately 15 kt, penetrating a boundary hedge. The aircraft then tipped nose-first into a deep ditch, which the pilot had not identified as being present behind the hedge line.
The sudden deceleration caused the pilot to strike his head against a metal spar running across the top of the cockpit, resulting in serious injuries. The passenger, who had braced for impact and had a tight harness, remained uninjured.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's performance, the pilot's experience, and the cockpit safety features. Investigators noted that the aircraft's kinetic energy during the landing was significantly higher than a solo, on-speed landing would have been. The investigation also looked into the cause of the pilot's head injury. A field trial by the Light Aircraft Association (LAA) determined that because the pilot had loosened his shoulder strap to reach the instrument panel during flight, the strap was too slack to prevent his head from striking the cockpit's front spar during the rapid deceleration.
Findings
- The pilot's decision to continue the landing rather than performing a go-around after a deep touchdown was a primary factor.
- The aircraft's approach speed was 8 knots above the target, and the presence of a passenger increased the landing weight, significantly increasing the kinetic energy at touchdown.
- The pilot's familiarity with much shorter runways at his home airfield likely contributed to an overestimation of the remaining runway at Stoke Golding.
- The pilot's shoulder harness was too loose, allowing sufficient upper body movement for the head to strike the metal cockpit spar during the impact.
- The pilot was unaware of the ditch located behind the boundary hedge.