What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2017-06-18 involved a Skyranger 912S(1), registration G-ZADA , at Ince Airfield, Merseyside, GB.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The accident was caused by the pilot's high and fast approach to a short runway, combined with a failure to perform required landing performance calculations and a lack of a go-around maneuver despite recognizing the unstable approach.

Skyranger Overruns Runway at Ince Airfield

A Skyranger 912S aircraft overran the end of a grass runway at Ince Airfield, crossing a river after a high and fast approach.

What happened

On 18 June 2017, a Skyranger 912S, registration G-ZADA, was participating in a private flight involving three aircraft. The group had departed from Shobdon Airfield and was approaching Ince Airfield in Merseyside. During the arrival, the lead aircraft in the formation experienced a tyre deflation upon landing, prompting the pilot to steer the aircraft off the runway to avoid further issues.

As the pilot of G-ZADA transitioned to the final approach for Runway 36, the aircraft was higher and traveling at 70 mph, which was 10 mph above the intended approach speed. The pilot noted that the airspeed did not decrease as expected during the final stage of the descent, potentially due to recent fabric covering replacements on the airframe. Although the pilot recognized the touchdown would occur further down the runway than desired, he believed the remaining distance was sufficient to stop.

Upon touchdown, the pilot applied maximum braking, but the aircraft failed to halt before the end of the 380 m grass strip. The aircraft overran the runway, crossed a 10 m wide section of the River Alt, and struck the far bank. While the crew escaped without injury, the one passenger sustained serious injuries, specifically a fractured rib.

The investigation

The AAIB examined the flight path and the pilot's approach parameters. The investigation established that the pilot was distracted by navigating around noise-sensitive areas during the circuit. Additionally, the pilot's perception of the runway threshold may have been skewed by nearby woodland.

Investigators also reviewed the aircraft's performance requirements. The Skyranger Operators’ Manual specifies an unfactored landing distance of 250 m from 50 ft, but when applying temperature corrections and the safety factors recommended by the BMAA and CAA, the required factored landing distance would have been significantly higher than the available runway length allowed for such an approach.

Findings

The pilot conducted a high and fast approach due to distractions related to noise-sensitive area avoidance.
The pilot did not perform the necessary landing performance calculations prior to the accident.
The aircraft's approach speed was approximately 10 mph above the intended speed.
The pilot did not initiate a go-around despite recognizing the unstable approach parameters.