What happened
On 7 February 2006, a Cheetah microlight, registration ZU-DKH, was conducting a private flight from Newcastle Aerodrome to a private farm aerodrome near Newcastle. The flight was carrying a pilot and one passenger. Following a routine landing on the grass runway, the aircraft was taxiing when the right main landing gear struck a hole in the surface. The hole had been obscured by grass, making it invisible to the pilot during the maneuver. This impact caused the right main gear to collapse and led to the propeller striking the ground. Both occupants escaped the incident without injury.
The investigation
Investigators examined the site and the aircraft's maintenance history. The inspection of the runway revealed two additional holes similar to the one that caused the incident, likely created by heavy rainfall during the preceding week. The investigation also confirmed that the aircraft held a valid Authority to Fly and had undergone its last annual inspection approximately 57.8 hours prior to the event. The pilot noted that while he had inspected the runway the previous day, he did not perform a fresh inspection on the day of the accident because he believed the surface remained stable.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the right main wheel entering a hole that was hidden by grass.
- The collapse of the landing gear directly resulted in the propeller making contact with the ground.
- The presence of multiple holes on the runway was attributed to recent heavy rainfall.
- A contributing factor was the pilot's decision to forego a runway inspection on the day of the flight, relying instead on the condition of the runway from the previous day.