What happened
On 5 September 2012, a Tecnam P92-EA Echo, registration G-CBGE, was performing a private flight when it experienced an incident during landing at a farm strip near Ledbury, Herefordshire. The pilot had performed an overhead join to the runway and proceeded to flare the aircraft, reducing engine power for the touchdown.
Upon contact with the runway, the aircraft was angled away from the centerline. The pilot noted a wind direction of approximately 350° at 8 to 10 knots. As the aircraft continued along the runway, it began to drift toward the left edge. In an attempt to avoid rough ground, the pilot applied heavy braking and steered the aircraft. This maneuver resulted in a ground loop, during which the aircraft momentarily tipped onto its nose and left wingtip.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The examination focused on the pilot's handling of the aircraft during the landing phase and the environmental conditions at the farm strip. The investigation established that the aircraft sustained damage to the nosewheel assembly and the left wingtip.
Findings
- The pilot utilized a crab technique during the approach to compensate for a wind coming from the right.
- The aircraft's trajectory drifted toward the edge of the runway surface.
- The ground loop was caused by the pilot applying heavy braking and steering the aircraft to avoid rough terrain.
- There were no injuries to the pilot during the event.