What happened
On 15 August 2009, an Aero AT3 R100, registration G-SBRK, was conducting a private flight from Sywell, Northamptonshire, alongside two other similar aircraft. While the initial weather conditions for the flight were favorable, the group encountered rain and low cloud cover while flying over the Chiltern Hills near Aylesbury. Due to deteriorating visibility, the pilot decided to divert the flight, first intending to land at Wycombe Air Park before ultimately selecting Halton Airfield.
During the approach to Halton, the aircraft became separated from the other two members of the formation because of the poor visibility. However, the pilot of G-SBRK maintained visual contact with the other aircraft as they were vacating the runway. Upon attempting to land, the aircraft's nose landing gear collapsed upon contact with the runway. The impact caused damage to the propeller, the left wing, and the nosewheel assembly. There were no injuries to the two occupants, who were able to exit the aircraft without difficulty.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The inquiry focused on the sequence of the approach and the pilot's management of the aircraft's flight parameters during the landing phase. The investigation examined the impact of the weather conditions on the pilot's decision-making and the potential for external distractions during the final approach.
Findings
- The pilot identified that the airspeed had decreased too much during the final approach.
- The pilot acknowledged that a go-around should have been performed due to the low airspeed.
- The pilot's attention was diverted by monitoring the other aircraft vacating the runway rather than maintaining focus on the airspeed of G-SBRK.