What happened
On 13 September 2008, a Thruster T600N aircraft, registration G-CDDI, was performing a private flight at a private airstrip located at Usselby, near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. During the approach to land, the pilot observed power cables positioned near the western approach of the airstrip. To ensure the path was clear, the pilot conducted a low-altitude flypast of the area.
While the flypast allowed the pilot to identify the outer set of cables, the innermost cables, which were mounted on shorter poles, remained undetected. The pilot subsequently commenced a landing approach, maintaining a clearance of approximately 15 feet from the identified cables. As the aircraft entered the flare phase of the landing, it struck one of the inner cables. This impact caused the aircraft to jerk violently and undergo a 180-degree turn before descending nose-first into the ground. The pilot sustained minor injuries, and the aircraft suffered significant damage to its engine, wing, and structure, alongside a broken power cable.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of events leading to the impact and the configuration of the overhead obstacles. It was established that two distinct sets of cables were mounted on different poles along the approach path. The investigation focused on the pilot's attempt to identify hazards via a low pass and the subsequent failure to detect the lower-profile cables positioned closer to the runway threshold.