What happened
On 12 June 20 and 2005, a Jabiru J450, registration ZU-DPD, was conducting a private flight from Ermelo Aerodrome to Kitty Hawk Aerodrome. The aircraft was carrying the pilot and two passengers. During the final approach to runway 01 at Kitty Hawk, the pilot deployed full flaps while maintaining an indicated airspeed of 65 knots.
As the aircraft reached the end of the runway, it possessed excessive speed for the remaining distance. In an attempt to manage the landing, the pilot steered the aircraft off the runway to the right. The aircraft subsequently entered a ditch and struck a fence. While the occupants of the Jabiru J450 escaped the incident without injury, the aircraft suffered damage to the propeller, the right-hand wing tip, and the nose landing gear.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight conditions and the mechanical state of the aircraft. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were favorable, characterized by clear skies, good visibility, and winds from 190° at 10 to 15 knots.
Maintenance records for ZU-DPD indicated that the aircraft had been properly maintained. The most recent mandatory periodic inspection had been completed on 27 April 2005, with only 11.4 airframe hours accumulated since that service.
Findings
- The investigation established that the pilot landed too far down the runway, failing to stop before the pavement ended.
- The landing surface of runway 01 at Kitty Hawk Aerodrome features a downward slope of approximately 2°, which contributed to the difficulty in stopping the aircraft.