What happened
On 28 May 2009, a private flight involving an X-Air Hawk, registration G-CEEC, was conducting operations at a 480-metre grass airstrip located at Halwell, near Dartmouth, Devon. During the third approach to the runway in calm weather conditions, the pilot landed with excessive speed and a long touchdown.
As the aircraft continued down the strip, the pilot attempted to steer the aircraft to the left to avoid an overrun. However, the aircraft subsequently struck a hedge, which resulted in damage to the engine cowling, the nose landing gear, and the right main landing gear. The pilot, who was wearing a full safety harness, escaped the incident without any injuries.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report form provided by the pilot. The inquiry established that the pilot had limited experience with this specific aircraft type, having completed only two hours of flight time on the X-Air Hawk prior to the event. At the time of the incident, the pilot had also flown only three hours in the preceding 90 days.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the pilot's excessive approach speed and long touchdown.
- The pilot attributed the error to a lack of familiarity with the aircraft type.
- The impact with the hedge caused structural damage to the engine cowling and the landing gear assembly.