What happened
On 24 July 2020, a ROTOX 914 gyrocopter, registration A6-GY7, was conducting a solo flight at the Nad Al Sheba Private Club in Dubai. After a two-hour flight, the pilot entered the landing circuit for strip 35. During the approach, the aircraft encountered a tailwind that increased its ground speed.
Upon touchdown, the pilot attempted to slow the aircraft by maintaining a nose-up attitude and applying the wheel brakes. However, these efforts failed to sufficiently reduce the speed. The aircraft continued down the runway, eventually striking a fence at the end of the strip. The impact caused the aircraft to flip onto its side, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe, including fractured rotor blades and a broken fuselage.
The investigation
The GCAA AAIS investigation examined the pilot's flight planning, the aircraft's technical capabilities, and the club's training syllabus. Investigators reviewed meteorological reports from nearby airports, including Dubai International (OMDB) and Al Maktoum International (OMDW). The investigation also analyzed CCTV footage of the impact and reviewed the pilot's training records at the club.
Findings
- The pilot relied on METAR data but failed to adequately account for the TAF forecasts, which indicated a tailwind component exceeding the aircraft's operational limits for landing on strip 35.
- The pilot observed a tailwind via the windsock during the approach but proceeded with the landing rather than opting for a go-around or switching to the opposite landing strip (strip 17) to utilize a headwind.
- The pilot utilized a non-standard deceleration technique by holding the aircraft in a nose-up attitude, which obscured the view of the runway end and prevented effective directional control.
- The club's training program lacked specific instruction on how to exit a circuit pattern to re-join from the opposite direction.
- The aircraft's pilot operating handbook included engine shutdown methods for deceleration that the pilot was unaware of using.
Safety action
- Enhance training and assessment methods to ensure trainee pilots achieve competency for landing in tailwind conditions.
- Update the training syllabus to include procedures for exiting the circuit pattern and re-joining the pattern from an alternative direction.