Accident Details
On an early morning departure from Croydon Airport, a twin-engine airplane set out to deliver newspapers in Brussels. The aircraft carried two crew members: one pilot and one radio operator.
As the flight approached Brussels-Zaventem Airport, the pilot encountered adverse weather conditions. Horizontal visibility was reported at 500 meters, with a cloud ceiling of 150 meters. During the final approach segment, the pilot established visual contact with lights and elected to continue the descent.
While facing an obstacle, the pilot increased engine power, but the aircraft subsequently struck a telegraph pole and crashed onto a house located 1,130 meters short of the runway threshold. No fire ensued. The collision destroyed both the airplane and the house, but both crew members sustained only slight injuries.
Probable Cause (Official Findings)
The accident resulted from a combination of the following factors:
- A lack of foresight, which forced the pilot to land in weather conditions that were below those for which he was authorized, and to do so at an airfield with which he was unfamiliar;
- The pilot’s imprecise maneuvers during instrument flight caused a loss of time, ultimately preventing him from reaching an alternate airfield;
- This imprecision led him, on final approach, to a point where it was no longer possible for him to land by using the approach lights as a guide;
- The pilot’s incomplete knowledge of the airfield led him to confuse the approach lights with the runway lights.