Incident Details
On 25 June 1999 at 1900 UTC, a Cessna 337B (registration G-RORO) operated by a private pilot on a flight from the Isle of Man to Castle Rock, Northern Ireland, experienced a runway excursion during landing. The pilot, aged 39, held a Private Pilot's Licence and had 611 total flying hours, with 81 hours on type. There was one crew and four passengers on board; none reported injuries.
Landing Sequence
The pilot obtained a weather forecast from Ronaldsway prior to departure. At Castle Rock, the aircraft landed on Runway 28, a grass strip approximately 600 metres long and 15 metres wide. The first part of the strip is level, but the remainder slopes upward, reaching about 8% gradient at the end. Surface wind was variable between south and south-east at about 8 kt, consistent with the forecast and providing no headwind component. The grass was damp.
The aircraft first touched down about 200 metres from the start of the strip and bounced, touching down a second time approximately halfway along the strip. The pilot briefly considered a go-around but decided to continue the landing. Realising the aircraft would not stop within the remaining distance, he applied full left rudder and brake, causing the aircraft to turn sharply left and depart the strip. It struck the airfield boundary hedge at an angle and penetrated it, coming to rest overhanging a minor road beyond the hedge. The occupants vacated the aircraft through the left side emergency window.
Performance Context
The landing data chart in the Super Skymaster Owner's Manual indicates that at maximum landing weight, the landing ground roll with full flaps on a hard surface runway at sea level, 15°C, and zero wind is 700 feet (214 metres). For dry grass, this distance must be increased by 27% to 272 metres. With a tailwind component and damp grass as additional factors, the landing at Castle Rock was likely to be risky unless the aircraft touched down much closer to the runway threshold.
Outcome
The aircraft sustained damage beyond repair to the right wing fuel tank, right wing, strut, and landing gear. No injuries were reported among the occupants.