AAIU Reports

SYNOPSIS

On start-up of Cessna EI-BCL at a licensed private airfield at Kilrush, Kildare, the aircraft shot across the grass and impacted another aircraft G-CPXC which was being refuelled at the time. The offending aircraft suffered substantial damage to engine, propeller and engine cowling.  Its propeller completely demolished the port wing of G-CPXC, pieces of which were strewn about the impact site.

SYNOPSIS

The pilot had refuelled EI-ONE at about 17.15 hrs at Kerry Airport (EIKY), and had planned to return to Tralee Racecourse, where three passengers were awaiting collection and return to Dublin.  EI-ONE departed EIKY at 17.38 hrs with a planned routing initially to the west and onward to Tralee.

At 18.07 hrs, a woman living in the southern lee of the feature Croaghskearda, which is located in the townland of Lisdorgan, near Lispole, Dingle, Co Kerry, made a 999 call advising that she had heard a helicopter flying low over her house, in very poor weather conditions, and that shortly thereafter she heard a very loud bang, followed by complete silence.

In a follow-up search by locals, helicopter wreckage was found on the south side of the Croaghskearda and was later identified by the Dingle Gardaí as EI-ONE.  The pilot was fatally injured on impact.  A post accident fire consumed most of the wreckage.

The probable cause of this accident was the pilot’s inability to maintain clearance from terrain after inadvertently entering Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) during Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight.

Two Safety Recommendations were made during the course of the investigation.

SYNOPSIS

The pilot was ferrying his aircraft on a short flight from Shannon Airport to Brittas Airfield, 10 miles east of Limerick city.  This private airfield’s surface is mostly short grass, with compacted gravel in places. The pilot was familiar with the airfield as he had landed there on a number of occasions.

There were scattered rain showers about the general area that morning and on the airfield.  The pilot said that the final was too fast and, in addition, the aircraft was “landed long”.  When full brakes were applied, braking action was poor, the runway surface was damp. The aircraft overran the end of the runway and finally stopped with its nose in the airfield boundary ditch.  The pilot, who was wearing a lap and diagonal harness, exited the aircraft uninjured.  There was no fire.

SYNOPSIS

The pilot had earlier that day flown with his passenger in a different aircraft to Kilkenny Airfield and then returned to Kilrush.  Here, they boarded the Stinson, a vintage “tail dragger” aircraft, with the intention, in the pilot’s words, of carrying out one circuit onto Runway 11.  On very short finals, he recalled, an extremely strong downdraught forced his aircraft into the ground, just short of the runway.  The ground in question was, in fact, a field of oats over three feet high.  The mainwheels dug into the soft ground and the aircraft inverted.  The aircraft was substantially damaged. The pilot and passengers exited the aircraft unaided. There was no fire.

SYNOPSIS

The aircraft had taken off from Dublin Airport and was climbing to FL 370 enroute for Dusseldorf, when over Wallasey, the aircraft suffered a complete loss of pressurisation.  The Captain initially requested ATC  permission to descend, but when this was refused due to traffic, a PAN was declared and the aircraft was immediately given clearance to descend. Meanwhile, the crew attempted to regain control of the cabin pressure using “Standby Mode” and “Manual Mode” but with no effect.  As the aircraft passed FL 280, control of pressurisation was suddenly re-established.  The crew decided to return to Dublin and the aircraft landed there without further incident.

SYNOPSIS

While cruising north of Paris at FL 370, the aircraft experienced a pressurisation failure.  After declaring a “MAYDAY”, the crew carried out an emergency descent to FL 100.  Diverting to Charles de Gaulle (LFPG) Paris, the aircraft landed at 14.20 hrs without further incident.  There were no reported injuries to crew or passengers.

SYNOPSIS

After an initial main wheel bounce, the tail wheel aircraft touched down a second time and immediately ground-looped to the left.  During the course of the ground-loop, the port undercarriage leg folded in under the fuselage and the port wing tip struck the ground.

SYNOPSIS

The scheduled passenger flight departed Derry (EGAE) at 08.10 UTC with 108 passengers and 6 crew for Stansted (EGSS). The Captain who was the pilot flying (PF), elected to perform a “Bleeds Off” take-off for which the First Officer (FO), the pilot not flying (PNF), configured the air conditioning panel for “Bleeds Off” at the pre take-off holding point.

After take-off, the PNF reconfigured the air conditioning panel while performing the after take-off checks and turned the air conditioning packs OFF, in error. The flight then continued up to Flight Level (FL) 270, during which both pilots recall hearing warning horns. 

At this level the PF levelled the aircraft, passenger oxygen masks had already deployed, and, in a panel scan, he noticed that the packs were selected to OFF and immediately switched them to ON. Cabin pressurisation returned to normal, aural warnings shortly ceased and the flight continued to Stansted, where it landed without further incident. ATC were not made aware of any onboard problem with this flight.

SYNOPSIS

The aircraft was attempting to take-off on RWY 34 at Hacketstown.  The aircraft had just lifted off when a gust of wind caught the tail of the aircraft.  The pilot immediately abandoned the take-off but the aircraft flipped over on to its back and continued, inverted, along the runway for some distance.

SYNOPSIS

The aircraft took off from Dublin for London Gatwick.  40 NM south east of Dublin, after passing Flight Level (FL)170 and accelerating through 290 kt, part of No 2 engine cowling separated from the aircraft and fell into the Irish Sea.  The aircraft returned to Dublin.