Aircraft and Flight Information
The aircraft involved was a Socata TB10 Tobago, registration G-BHDE, manufactured in 1980 and powered by a single Lycoming O-360-A1 AD piston engine. The private flight originated from Liverpool and was destined for Caernarfon Airport in North Wales. On board were one pilot and three passengers. The pilot, aged 31, held a Private Pilot's Licence with a total flying experience of 96 hours, of which 10 hours were on the type.
Landing and Overrun
The pilot intended to land on Runway 26, which has a declared Landing Distance Available of 820 metres. No Air-Ground radio service was available at the time of arrival. The pilot overflew the airfield to observe the signals square and windsock, which indicated that Runway 26 was in use with a south-westerly wind estimated at about 5 kt. He flew a right-hand circuit, performed a low approach and go-around to assess conditions, then proceeded for a full stop landing from the subsequent circuit. Full flap and full fine pitch were selected for the final approach.
After crossing the threshold at 75 kts, the aircraft touched down on Runway 26 just beyond its intersection with the disused north-westerly runway. The pilot assessed that the ground speed was relatively high and began applying braking, which appeared to have limited effect. As the aircraft neared the end of the paved surface, both front-seat occupants applied significant toe brake inputs. The main wheels locked, reducing retardation, and the aircraft skidded off the end of the runway. It collided with fence posts supporting a barbed wire fence that crossed the overrun area. There was no fire, and all four occupants vacated the aircraft via normal means.
Post-Accident Observations
Other pilots present at the airfield indicated that the aircraft touched down a significant distance along the runway surface. Heavy skid marks were evident towards the end of the available runway surface. An engineering inspection conducted after the accident revealed no technical problem that could have caused the overrun.
Meteorological Conditions
METARs from RAF Valley, approximately 11 nautical miles north-west of Caernarfon, recorded a surface wind from 080° at 5 kt at 1650 UTC and from 060° at 9 kt at 1750 UTC. An assessment of the synoptic chart by the Met Office indicated that the 2,000 ft wind was from 160° at 12 kt, which would have resulted in a light easterly or north-easterly surface wind at Caernarfon at the time of the accident.