2011 Britten-Norman Islander runway overrun at Helgoland

Overview and flight details On 8 June 2011, a Britten-Norman BN-2B-26 Islander was operating a flight from Bremerhaven (EDWB) to Helgoland (EDXH). The aircraft carried a pilot and six passengers. During landing on runway 33 at approximately 11:13 local time, the pilot reported that braking was briefly effective before it was lost due to aquaplaning. The aircraft then drifted to the right of the runway centreline and overran the end of the runway. ## Accident sequence and damage Witnesses reported heavy rain during the flight and stated that the runway was very wet or flooded. The aircraft broke through the airport perimeter wires, crossed a paved path, and came to rest in unimproved ground about 15 m beyond the wires and about 37 m beyond the runway end. The fuselage was oriented approximately toward 310°. The left main landing gear was broken at the wing attachment, and the wing was damaged in the spar area and at the landing flap. Ground-contact marks were found on the left aileron trim weight and left propeller. The right propeller, right engine cowl, left fuselage side, fuselage underside, and tyres were also damaged. Light, broken tyre marks were present on the runway and continued from the runway end to the main landing gear wheels. No fire occurred. ## Aircraft and operator information The aircraft was a twin-engine, high-wing, fixed-gear tricycle-configuration Britten-Norman BN-2B-26 Islander with nine seats. It had a length of 10.86 m, a wingspan of 14.94 m, and a height of 4.18 m. The serial number was 32 582, the year of manufacture was 2008, and the maximum takeoff and landing mass was 2,994 kg. Total operating time was 1,793:46 hours. The engines were Lycoming O-540-E4C5. The aircraft was registered in Germany on 10 November 2008 and operated by a German air transport company. Its airworthiness review certificate was issued by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt on 16 September 2010 and was valid until 21 September 2011. ## Pilot and weather The pilot was 44 years old and held a commercial pilot licence under JAR-FCL German regulations, with ratings for multi-engine piston land aircraft, IFR, and CAT I landings. Total experience was about 5,444 hours, including about 2,476 hours on the type. The most recent check flight had been conducted about ten months earlier on the type. The pilot held a Class 1 medical certificate valid until 20 February 2012. A METAR from Helgoland at 09:00 UTC reported wind from 010° at 3 kt, visibility 8,000 m, moderate rain, broken cloud at 3,800 ft, overcast at 8,000 ft, temperature 14°C, and dew point 13°C. Before approach, the pilot received information from Helgoland air traffic control: wind 335° at 5 kt, visibility about 5,000 m and lower in heavy showers, overcast at 800 ft, heavy rain and heavy rain showers, temperature 15°C, and QNH 1,004 hPa. ## Airport and investigation Helgoland traffic airfield is at 8 ft above sea level and has three concrete runways: 15/33 (480 m by 30 m), 03/21 (371 m by 20 m), and 06/24 (258 m by 12 m). Runway 33 was available for landing over its full length. No flight data recorders were required or installed. The investigation was conducted by the German Federal Aviation Accident Investigation Office (BFU) under EU Regulation 996/2010 and the German FlUUG, with the sole purpose of accident prevention.