What happened
On December 10, 2005, a Cessna 525 B was performing a private flight from Leipzig/Halle to Arnsberg/Menden with two passengers on board. At 08:35 local time, the pilot received taxi instructions from apron 1 to proceed to runway 26 via taxiways N, W1, and C, eventually reaching the CAT-III holding point on taxiway A7.
At 0ert 08:45:05, the aircraft received clearance to taxi onto runway 26, followed by takeoff clearance 15 seconds later. Shortly after, at 08:46:39, the pilot reported via radio that the aircraft had veered off the runway. The aircraft's path across the runway was marked by tire tracks that ran diagonally across runway 26 for approximately 100 meters before entering the side safety strip.
The investigation
The BFU investigation examined the aircraft's movement using ground-based contact loops, which allowed air traffic controllers to track the taxiing process. The investigation established that during a left turn, the nose gear and subsequently the left main landing gear failed after striking a service road. Following the gear failure, the aircraft traveled parallel to runway 26, rotated approximately 180 degrees around its vertical axis, and slid tail-first until it came to a stop near taxiway A6.
At the time of the accident, meteorological conditions at Leipzig/Halle were characterized by extremely low visibility, with ground visibility reported between 40 and 50 meters. There was no fire at the scene, and there were no injuries to the occupants.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the structural failure of the landing gear (both the nose gear and the left main gear) after the aircraft encountered a service road during a turn.
- The aircraft sustained heavy damage, including a broken nose gear, a broken left main gear, significant damage to the left wing, and deformation of the lower fuselage near the nose.
- Extremely low visibility (40–50 meters) was present during the event.