What happened
On 13 July 2011, a Britten-Norman Islander, registration G-BSWR, was returning to Belfast International Airport following a 2.5-hour flight. The aircraft, operating as a non-revenue commercial flight, was performing a visual approach to Runway 07 at night. The pilot, flying with two passengers, intended to land at the runway threshold and used the Precision Approach Path Indicators (PAPIs) to confirm a 3-degree glidepath.
While the pilot initially believed the landing was uneventful, the crew and passengers heard several dull thuds after touchdown. Upon taxiing to the parking area and shutting down the engines, an external inspection revealed grass on the aircraft's underside and damage to the starboard side of the fuselage. The inspection also identified a damaged propeller blade on the right engine, a damaged nose cone, and multiple punctures and dents in the aircraft skin.
The investigation
Investigators examined the approach lighting system at the airport, which consists of centerline lights and a single crossbar located 439 metres before the runway threshold. A runway inspection vehicle confirmed that the last three centerline approach lights had been struck. Furthermore, tyre marks were discovered in the grass, beginning 80 metres before the paved surface and 125 metres short of the displaced runway threshold.
Findings
- The pilot had descended below the 3-degree glidepath with the intention of landing at the threshold, a practice that may have been used to minimize taxi time.
- The aircraft made contact with the approach lighting system due to a lack of sufficient visual cues during the night approach.
- It is possible that the pilot's perspective caused the single crossbar of the approach lights to appear merged with the green threshold lights, leading to a touchdown point just beyond the crossbar.
- Environmental factors, including a very dark night, high overcast cloud, and the lack of surrounding cultural lighting, contributed to the difficulty in judging the aircraft's position relative to the surface.