Accident Overview
On 24 August 2002 at 0955 UTC, a Gulfstream AA-5B (registration G-BTII) was operated on a private VFR cross-country flight from Biggin Hill, Kent, to Barton airfield near Manchester. The aircraft was manufactured in 1979 and was powered by a single Lycoming O-360-A4K piston engine. The pilot held a Private Pilot Licence, was 42 years old, and had accumulated 173 flying hours, of which 13 were on type. His recent experience included 17 hours in the last 90 days and 5 hours in the last 28 days. On board were the pilot and three passengers; no injuries were sustained. The aircraft sustained damage to both wings and the underside of the fuselage.
Flight and Weather Conditions
The weather forecast for the route was good, with conditions in the Manchester area given as: wind 280° at 10 kt, visibility over 10 km, and cloud broken at 4,000 feet. A PROB 40 TEMPO covering the ETA at Barton included 5,000 metres visibility in showers with broken cumulonimbus at 1,500 feet. En route, the pilot followed a low-level route to the Thelwall Viaduct VRP. The main cloud base gradually lowered to approximately 1,000 feet with a small amount of stratus below that height. The pilot estimated visibility had reduced to 4,000 metres in rain.
Approach and Landing
The pilot located Barton airfield and was cleared to land on Runway 27 South (S), a grass runway with a Landing Distance Available (LDA) of 621 metres. He made two attempts to land on Runway 27 but performed a go-around each time due to low cloud on the approach. The pilot was then offered Runway 09 S, with a surface wind of 270° at less than 5 kt. He positioned the aircraft to land on that runway but again was forced to go around due to low cloud. On a second approach to Runway 09 S, the aircraft touched down at a point approximately two thirds of the way along the runway. Although the touchdown was long, the pilot believed sufficient stopping distance remained. However, due to wet grass and insufficient stopping distance, the aircraft overran the end of the runway and struck a hedge at approximately 25 kt.
Emergency Response and Pilot Comments
The airfield Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (RFFS) responded immediately. The pilot carried out emergency shutdown procedures and assisted passengers in exiting the aircraft via the normal sliding canopy. The pilot concluded that the weather was very poor and worse than forecast, which, when combined with the lowering cloudbase, had caused him concern and created a need to get the aircraft on the ground. He also considered it possible that restricted visibility and a slight tailwind had added to his problems, as he had not carried out any downwind landings in such conditions.