What happened
On 17 January 1998, an Acrosport 2, registration G-BKCV, was conducting a private flight from Hinton-in-the-Hedges Airfield to Baxterley Airfield in Warwickshire. The pilot, who was familiar with the airfield and had used it as a base earlier that day, approached Runway 25. Although the visibility was good and weather conditions were otherwise stable, the grass runway surface was wet. Prior to the return flight, the pilot had inspected the runway and identified specific areas of standing water and soft ground, particularly within the first 100 metres of the runway, and had planned to land beyond that section.
During the landing sequence, the aircraft touched down approximately 20 metres from the touchdown point. Shortly after contact with the surface, a loud noise was heard as the undercarriage tie rods failed, causing the landing gear to collapse. The aircraft subsequently came to a stop on its belly. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger, both of whom were secured in five-point harnesses and were able to exit the aircraft without assistance. The impact resulted in damage to the propeller, the fuselage skin, and the undercarriage struts.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the structural failure of the undercarriage components and the condition of the runway surface. It was noted that since the pilot's initial runway inspection earlier in the day, heavy rainfall had occurred, which increased the amount of standing water on the grass surface. The investigation examined the impact of the soft ground and the increased moisture on the integrity of the landing gear during the landing roll.
Findings
- The primary cause of the landing gear collapse was the failure of the undercarriage tie rods while the aircraft was traversing soft ground and areas of standing water.
- Heavy rain following the pilot's initial inspection had worsened the runway conditions, increasing the depth of standing water and the softness of the turf.
- Following the incident, additional drainage was installed beneath the runway to mitigate similar risks in the future.