What happened
On 27 August 2013, a private flight involving an X’air 133, registration G-CWAL, was approximately 15 minutes into its journey when the engine began producing a loud, abnormal noise and simultaneously lost power. The pilot was able to utilize the remaining limited power to steer the aircraft toward the only available landing site nearby, which was a farmer's field located roughly 2 miles north of Kildoey, County Down.
The field used for the landing measured approximately 200 metres in length and 100 metres in width. It was bounded by a 2-metre-high dry stone wall and contained overhead electrical cables running diagonally across the area, where a herd of cows was grazing. During the touchdown, the impact was heavy enough to cause both mainwheels to break off the stub axles. The aircraft sustained significant damage to the landing gear, the wing spars, and bends in the main fuselage tube, rendering the aircraft a total loss.
The investigation
Following the incident, the aircraft owner inspected the engine and discovered a significant amount of small metal fragments within the oil drained from the engine sump. This provided evidence that the power loss was the result of an internal mechanical failure within the engine. The investigation also noted that at the time of the accident, the engine had completed approximately 137 hours of flight time.