What happened
On 29 March 2003, a X'Air 700(1A), registration G-BZYX, was conducting a familiarisation flight near Kirk Newton, Edinburgh. The flight's objective was to practice new noise abatement procedures at the airfield. The crew consisted of the pilot, who was performing the flight under a Private Pilot's Licence, and a passenger who was experienced with the local ground features and procedures.
After a successful first circuit, the pilot commenced the second approach. While the aircraft was at approximately 250 feet above ground level, the pilot noted a high rate of descent and applied power to maintain the correct path. As the aircraft descended to roughly 50 feet, it encountered turbulence, which resulted in a heavy touchdown on the grass runway. Following the impact, the starboard undercarriage collapsed, causing the aircraft to come to a stop 42 metres further along the runway edge. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger.
The investigation
The investigation examined the meteorological conditions and the pilot's interpretation of wind data. Before takeoff, the pilot had checked the wind at Edinburgh Airport, which showed a speed of 11 kt. Based on this, the pilot believed the wind was reducing in strength, as previously forecast. However, the investigation established that the actual surface wind at the time of the accident was 270°/14 kt, with gusts reaching 24 kt.
Findings
- The pilot's assessment of a reducing wind was incorrect due to a reliance on data from a different location.
- The aircraft encountered turbulence and wind shear during the final stages of the approach.
- The heavy landing was a direct result of the aircraft being unable to compensate for the sudden atmospheric changes at low altitude.