What happened
On 3 May 2008, a Skyranger 912(2), registration G-CDHE, was conducting a private flight from Barton Airfield near Manchester to Crosland Moor Airfield. During the approach to runway 25, the pilot performed a flapless maneuver at a speed of 60 kt. The landing occurred to the left of the runway centerline.
Upon touchdown, the pilot was unable to maintain the aircraft's alignment with the runway. The aircraft drifted toward the left upwind side of the paved surface, eventually striking a low mound of earth located beside the runway. The impact caused the nose undercarriage leg to fail, leading the aircraft to tip over and come to a rest in an inverted position. The incident resulted in minor injuries to the pilot and no injuries to the passenger.
The investigation
The investigation examined the circumstances surrounding the landing at Crosland Moor, specifically focusing on the runway conditions and environmental factors. The runway in use was 900 m in length, consisting of 650 m of asphalt followed by a grass section. At the time of the accident, the weather was clear, but winds were recorded from 160º(M) at 8 kt, creating a left-hand crosswind.
Findings
- The aircraft drifted off the paved surface due to the pilot's inability to align the aircraft with the runway centerline.
- The impact with a mound of earth caused the failure of the nose undercarriage leg.