What happened
During a flight at Breda International Airport, a pilot conducted a landing approach that resulted in the aircraft exiting the runway on the south side. The aircraft traveled through airport fencing, struck a pole, crossed a road, and hit a tree before coming to a stop in a meadow. The impact was severe enough to cause the complete detachment of the right wing. While the pilot escaped without injury, the aircraft sustained extensive damage, and the pilot had to be extricated from the cockpit by the airport fire service.
The investigation
The investigation established that the pilot had flown the downwind leg at an altitude exceeding the prescribed limits set by the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). To compensate for this higher altitude, the pilot flew a longer final approach to reduce speed and altitude. However, the aircraft maintained significant power upon touchdown. The investigation found that the pilot realized the speed was too high to stop before the runway end, but determined that a go-around was no longer a viable option.
Findings
- The primary cause of the excursion was the pilot performing the approach and landing at an excessive speed and failing to initiate a go-around.
- The pilot intentionally flew above the prescribed circuit altitude to maintain better visibility over trees on the south side of the runway.
- The approach was preceded by a non-compliant downwind leg at an altitude higher than the 730 feet AMSL required by the AIP.
- Low wind conditions contributed to the difficulty in stopping the aircraft within the remaining runway distance.
- There were no mechanical defects found in the aircraft that contributed to the incident.