History of the Flight
The aircraft, a GAF Nomad registered N5190Y, departed with one pilot and 13 parachutists on a parachute dropping flight from Chatteris Airfield, Cambridgeshire. During the climb, the ground crew informed the pilot by radio that the wind was too strong for the planned drop and advised a return. The pilot flew an approach to Runway 19 at 87 kt with flaps set at 20°. The reported wind was 220/15 kt gusting to 30 kt, visibility 10 km or more, and scattered cloud at 5,000 ft. The approach appeared normal until the pilot was about to initiate the roundout, at which point the aircraft “suddenly dropped” and landed heavily. The pilot recalled that on his last instrument scan before the flare, the indicated speed was 75 kt. The aircraft came to a halt and the left main landing gear collapsed. There was no fire, and all occupants exited without difficulty.
Another experienced Nomad pilot who observed the approach commented that the Nomad had followed a microlight aircraft close ahead and expressed surprise that the pilot had not initiated a go-around.
Aircraft Performance
According to the flight manual, at a landing weight of 8,500 lbs, the uncorrected approach speed with flaps set at 20° should be 87 kt. The manual provided no guidance on landing with less than full flap or adjusting the approach speed for wind conditions.
Pilot Qualifications
The pilot held both a CAA and an FAA Private Pilot’s Licence, the latter issued on the basis of the CAA licence. Under CAA rules, a pilot would have been required to complete a course of training and tests to obtain a type rating for the Nomad; FAA rules made no such provision. The pilot’s training on the type consisted of a single 50-minute flight, which he recorded as a ‘checkout’ in his log book, with the flying time in his P1 column. The name of the pilot who conducted the checkout was not recorded.
The AAIB sought an opinion from the CAA on whether the pilot’s licence was valid for operating the aircraft on this flight. The CAA, in turn, asked the FAA for clarification but did not receive a definitive answer.
Previous Accident
The same pilot and aircraft type were involved in a previous accident in 2007, as documented in AAIB investigation EW/C2007/08/11. On that occasion, the aircraft inadvertently entered cloud while climbing through about 8,500 ft with 13 parachutists on board. The pilot descended and regained visual meteorological conditions at about 4,000 ft, but one engine ran down due to icing before the engine anti-ice system was selected on. Unable to restart the engine, the pilot returned to the departure airfield and flew a faster-than-normal approach in accordance with training for single-engine landings. The aircraft landed long and overran the runway; the nosewheel entered a ditch, causing the noseleg to collapse. The pilot did not hold a type rating as required by CAA and JAR regulations but was operating under an FAA licence and incorrectly believed he did not require a specific type rating. The aircraft is prohibited from operating in icing conditions. Following the 2007 accident, the pilot continued to fly the aircraft regularly under the same licensing arrangement.
Safety Action
The accident was discussed with the British Parachuting Association (BPA), which subsequently formed a working group to review the training and qualification of pilots flying foreign-registered aircraft for parachute dropping. The aircraft operator now requires pilots converting to the Nomad to undertake at least ten hours of training in the right seat with a BPA Pilot Examiner, followed by approximately ten hours in the left seat, before being cleared to fly solo.