What happened
On 29 August 2016, a Beech B55 Baron, registration SE-EXW, was conducting a private flight traveling from Belgium toward Northern Ireland. During the transit, the pilot identified a mechanical issue involving a restriction in the rudder movement. In response to this flight control anomaly, the pilot decided to perform a precautionary landing at Rectory Farm Airfield in Abbotsley, Cambridgeshire.
Upon attempting to land at the airfield, the pilot was unable to decelerate the aircraft sufficiently to remain within the confines of the available runway. The aircraft subsequently overran the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, the right wing, and the left wingtip.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the runway excursion and the nature of the flight control malfunction. Investigators reviewed the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot and examined the circumstances surrounding the landing at the grass/unpaved airfield. The investigation established that while the pilot attempted to manage the flight following the discovery of the rudder issue, the available runway length at the destination was insufficient to safely stop the aircraft under the prevailing conditions.