Incident Overview
On 7 January 2001 at 1546 hours UTC, a Beagle B121 Series 2 aircraft, registration G-AZEU, was involved in an accident at Derby Airfield, Derbyshire. The aircraft was conducting a private flight with a single pilot and no passengers. The pilot held a Basic Commercial Pilot's Licence with IMC and Night Ratings, was 43 years old, and had 600 hours total flying experience, of which 390 were on type. His recent flying included 24 hours in the last 90 days and 8 hours in the last 28 days.
Flight and Weather Conditions
The pilot was returning to Derby Airfield from the northeast. The weather at the time was surface wind 250°/10 knots, with scattered cumulus and stratocumulus cloud at 3,000 feet. Visibility was 25 km, but the pilot noted it was significantly reduced when flying into the sun.
Approach and Landing
On arrival at Derby Airfield, the pilot joined the downwind leg of the right-hand circuit and observed grass Runway 23, which had black and white marker boards on either side of the threshold. Initially, the sun was hidden behind a cloud. As the pilot turned onto the base leg, he lowered flap for landing and positioned the aircraft onto the final approach. He still had the two marker boards in sight, but the grass of the runway was blending with the surrounding grass area.
When the pilot turned onto the final approach, the sun emerged from behind a cloud, significantly reducing visibility in the direction of the runway. The pilot noted that the surface was firmer on the right-hand side of the runway, with some waterlogged areas on the left. He planned to touchdown on the right-hand side of the runway.
Collision and Aftermath
During the final approach at approximately 60 knots, visibility became very poor. The pilot could see the grass below and a marker board on the left side of the aircraft, which he believed to be the left-side runway marker board. He aimed to the right of it and flared, making a normal touchdown. After a ground run of about 12 meters, the aircraft struck a fence and some sheep feeding equipment located to the right of the runway. The nose landing gear bent back, and the aircraft slowly tipped forward and became inverted. The pilot immediately undid his safety harness and exited through the normal door. The accident was witnessed by other persons on the airfield, and the Rescue and Fire Fighting Service attended immediately. The pilot returned to the aircraft and turned off the electrical master switch and the fuel.
Damage and Injuries
The pilot sustained minor injuries. The aircraft suffered minimal damage to the nose landing gear.
Pilot's Conclusion
The pilot concluded that with the low sun (sunset was at 1609 hours) and resultant poor into-sun visibility, he had mistaken the right-hand marker board for the left-hand marker board and landed to the right of the runway. He did not see the obstacles until just before colliding with them. He also drew attention to a large blade aerial attached to the cabin roof of the aircraft, which was no longer used. As this struck the ground when the aircraft inverted, it caused the roof to collapse inwards. While on this occasion it did not cause injury or impede his departure, the pilot noted that had the impact been greater, the results could have been more serious.