What happened
On 29 April 2009, an Ikarus C42 FB80, registration G-CDYT, was conducting a training flight at Swansea Airport. While the pilot was attempting to land on Runway 22, the aircraft encountered a significant crosswind component originating from the left. This sudden gust caught the pilot off-guard during the landing flare. In the process of attempting to correct the resulting drift, the aircraft entered a stall. This led to a heavy landing that caused damage to the propeller and the nose landing gear. The pilot sustained no injuries during the event.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report form provided by the pilot. The examination focused on the environmental conditions at the time of the approach and the aircraft's aerodynamic behavior during the flare. The investigation established that the aircraft's flight path was disrupted by the unexpected wind conditions, which directly led to the loss of lift and the subsequent impact.