What happened
On 5 July 2014, a Pitts Special S-1S, registration G-TAYL, was conducting a private flight at Perth Airport. The pilot, who had very limited experience on this specific aircraft type, was performing an approach where the initial aiming point was positioned approximately one-third of the way down the runway. Due to the limited visibility of the landing area characteristic of this aircraft, the pilot utilized a side-slip maneuver to steepen the descent and bring the touchdown point closer to the runway threshold.
As the aircraft neared the ground, the pilot ceased the side-slip and attempted to flare for landing. However, the aircraft maintained an excessive rate of descent. The impact with the runway was severe enough to cause the undercarriage to collapse. Following the collapse, the propeller struck the ground, and the aircraft entered a ground loop before coming to a halt. There were no injuries to the pilot, and no fire occurred following the impact.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's approach technique and the aircraft's flight parameters during the final stages of landing. It was established that the pilot's experience on the Pitts Special S-1S was extremely limited, with only one hour previously logged on the type. The investigation examined the pilot's decision to use a side-slip to adjust the touchdown point and the subsequent failure to arrest the descent rate.
Findings
- The pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed while performing the side-slip maneuver.
- The high rate of descent was not sufficiently arrested by the flare, leading to a hard impact.
- The structural failure of the landing gear was a direct result of the excessive vertical impact force.
- Damage to the aircraft included the propeller, wing tip, wing fabric, and landing gear.