What happened
On 11 November 2018, a Pioneer 300 aircraft, registration G-RABS, was conducting a private local flight departing from Strathaven Airfield in South Lanarkshire. Shortly after takeoff, deteriorating weather conditions, characterized by light rain and an ambient temperature of approximately 8°C, prompted the pilot to return to the airfield for a landing on the grass runway 09.
During the final approach, the pilot activated the cabin heating system. This action caused the interior of the windshield to rapidly mist up, significantly obscuring the pilot's forward vision. Due to this loss of visibility, the pilot misjudged the flare during the landing phase. The aircraft made a heavy impact with the runway, resulting in the collapse of the nose landing gear and the propeller striking the ground. The aircraft came to a halt on the runway, and the pilot escaped no injuries.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the sequence of events leading to the heavy landing and the environmental conditions at the time of the occurrence. The investigation focused on the impact of the cabin heat activation on the cockpit environment and the subsequent loss of visual reference during the landing flare.