What happened
On 21 January 1999, a Piper PA-34-200T, registration G-BSHA, was conducting a private flight from Cardiff to Southampton. Prior to arrival, the pilot had reviewed a weather forecast suggesting improving visibility; however, actual conditions at Southampton Airport involved fog with a visibility of approximately 500 metres and a broken cloudbase at 100 feet.
During the approach to Runway 20, the pilot followed an ILS procedure. After passing an RVR of 500 metres, the aircraft descended to the approach minimum of 280 feet. Upon leveling off, the pilot identified the runway edge lights through a gap in the fog and proceeded to land on the runway centerline. Due to the low visibility, the pilot could not visually confirm the remaining runway distance. As the end of the runway approached, the pilot attempted to brake, but the braking appeared ineffective. In an effort to avoid the approach lights for the opposing runway, the pilot applied full left rudder. The aircraft exited the runway and entered the arrester bed, causing the right main landing gear to collapse. There were no injuries to the two occupants.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's approach and the meteorological conditions at the time of the incident. It was noted that the pilot's recent experience was primarily on larger commercial aircraft equipped with anti-skid brakes and reverse thrust, which may have influenced the braking technique used during the excursion. Furthermore, the investigation reviewed the regulatory requirements regarding approach altitudes in low visibility. Under the Air Navigation Order, non-public transport aircraft are prohibited from descending below 1,000 feet if the RVR is lower than the specified landing minimum. At Southampton, the minimum RVR for Runway 20 was 800 metres, whereas the actual RVR was 500 metres.