What happened
On the day of the incident, the flight crew was tasked with transporting a transplant organ from Belfast Aldergrove Airport to Birmingham Airport. The flight departed Belfast at 14:50 hrs. During the approach to Runway 15 at Birmingham, the aircraft was initially flying via autopilot. However, after several oscillations through the localiser centerline, the co-pilot disconnected the autopilot to fly the approach manually.
As the aircraft approached the airfield, radar controllers notified the crew of a fog bank present during the final approach, noting specific visibility measurements. While the commander was able to sight the airfield, the co-pilot did not. At approximately 6 nm from the runway, the tower controller informed the crew of fog at the airfield boundary. The commander noted that only one end of the runway was visible.
Although the aircraft was established on the correct glideslope and localiser at 4 nm, and the crew performed standard altitude callouts, the aircraft began to drift to the right between 1.1 nm and 0.9 nm from the runway. The track shifted to 152°M, and the aircraft subsequently struck a glideslope antenna located to the right of the runway. The aircraft came to a stop upright on the grass, where a fire broke out on the left side of the fuselage. The co-pilot evacuated through the left cabin door and sustained flash burns, while the commander was temporarily trapped in the cockpit.
Findings
- The aircraft drifted from its intended path, turning right onto a track of 152°M during the final stages of the approach.
- The aircraft struck a glideslope antenna located to the right of the runway, which led to the impact and subsequent fire.