What happened
On 29 September 2013, a Zenair CH 601UL Zodiac, registration G-CDAK, was performing a private flight at Old Park Farm Airfield, located near Port Talbot, South Wales. While attempting to land on a grass airstrip in a northerly direction, the aircraft encountered difficulties during the final approach.
As the aircraft descended to a height of approximately 50 feet, a powerful gust of wind caused the right wing to lift. This sudden atmospheric disturbance resulted in the aircraft being unable to maintain a stable approach, leading to a landing that lacked sufficient height or airspeed for the pilot to recover. The aircraft came to a stop upright, positioned to the west of the landing threshold. The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, sustained no injuries and was able to exit the cockpit without assistance.
The investigation
Investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the approach and the environmental conditions at the time of the incident. The investigation established that the pilot had not checked a weather forecast prior to the flight, which meant there was no formal assessment of the prevailing meteorological conditions available to the crew. While the pilot noted the presence of a severe wind gust during the landing phase, the lack of prior weather information contributed to the unexpected nature of the event.