What happened
On 27 August 2009, a BA Swallow 2, registration G-AFCL, was conducting a private flight at Niden Manor, near Daventry. The flight, which was the pilot's first of the evening, involved a curving approach to a westerly-oriented grass runway to avoid obstacles. The runway was approximately 800 metres long and 20 metres wide, with surface winds estimated at 10 to 15 knots from the south-west.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft began a slow, uncorrectable turn to the right. This maneuver caused the aircraft to depart the right side of the runway, where it subsequently mounted an earth bank and struck a fence. The impact occurred at a low speed and resulted in damage to the propeller, the leading edges of both wings, the forward fuselage, and the right main landing gear assembly. The pilot, who sustained no injuries, was able to shut down the engine and exit the aircraft safely.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sudden loss of directional control immediately following the landing. The pilot reported that the landing itself had been normal and did not consider the touchdown to have been unusually firm. However, the pilot noted that the cross-strut on the right main landing gear had failed, which altered the geometry of the gear and contributed to the aircraft's inability to maintain its course.
Findings
- The aircraft's departure from the runway was caused by the fracture of the right main landing gear cross-strut.
- This failure likely occurred during the landing phase, causing the gear to fold outwards.
- The pilot was unable to provide a specific reason for the structural failure of the strut, though they did not attribute it to an abnormal landing impact.