Overview
On 3 July 2010, a serious incident occurred at Cuneo Levaldigi airport involving a Jabiru J400 aircraft, registration F-PMIT. The aircraft, assembled by its owner, was on a private flight from Serristori airstrip in Castiglion Fiorentino to Cuneo Levaldigi. The pilot, a 63-year-old French national holding a valid private pilot license with SEP and French radiotelephony ratings, had about 500 total flight hours. The aircraft sustained no damage, and no other damages were reported.
Event Details
The pilot departed Serristori around 08:35 UTC and contacted Cuneo Levaldigi Tower, but radio communications were partially unintelligible, and the pilot appeared unfamiliar with the area. The tower instructed the aircraft to join right downwind for runway 03. After completing downwind, the aircraft was told to report final for runway 03. However, after the base turn, the aircraft instead repositioned into right downwind for runway 21. When asked why, the pilot's reply was unintelligible. The tower then asked if the pilot preferred to land on runway 21, given variable winds at 3 knots; the pilot confirmed. The aircraft was cleared to land on runway 21, but the landing occurred on a grass strip east of the asphalt runway.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The Jabiru J400 is a single-engine, four-seat aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 700 kg, equipped with a Jabiru 3300A engine. The aircraft had a valid special certificate of airworthiness (class 2 kit) and over 300 total flight hours. The pilot held a valid private pilot license, SEP rating, and French radiotelephony rating. He had flown over 13 hours in the last 30 days.
Weather Conditions
Weather at the time was good: visibility approximately 7000 meters, wind from 060° at 4 knots.
Communications
Recorded radio exchanges showed frequent interference. After confirming the intention to land on runway 21, the pilot asked, "May I use the grass runway?" This message was not entirely clear to the tower. The tower responded, "Fox India Tango you are cleared to land on runway two one, wind zero six zero degrees, four knots." Shortly after, the tower asked, "Fox India Tango, why did you go on the grass?" The pilot later stated that he saw a grass strip beside the runway and thought it was a grass runway, similar to his home field. He believed the tower's clearance was for the grass strip. He added that the rapid exchange might have caused overlap of transmissions.
Analysis
The aircraft's technical condition met regulatory requirements. The pilot lacked English radiotelephony proficiency and was not fluent in English. Weather was not a factor. The pilot's inadequate knowledge of the destination airport, its procedures, and the area, along with radio difficulties, highlighted poor flight planning. The pilot had not thoroughly reviewed technical and operational aspects of Cuneo Levaldigi.
Cause
The incident was caused by inadequate flight planning by the pilot, who arrived at Cuneo Levaldigi without proper knowledge of its technical and operational aspects. Insufficient English language proficiency may have contributed.