AAIB Bulletin: 12/2013

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23 ©Crown copyright 2013 AAIB Bulletin: 12/2013 N6751W EW/G2013/07/31 ACCIDENT Aircraft Type and Registration: Beechcraft 58TC Baron, N6751W No & Type of Engines: 2 Continental Motors Corp TSIO-520 SER piston engines Year of Manufacture: 1980 (Serial no: TK-121) Date & Time (UTC): 30 July 2013 at 1315 hrs Location: Panshanger Aerodrome, Hertfordshire Type of Flight: Private Persons on Board: Crew - 1 Passengers - None Injuries: Crew - None Passengers - N/A Nature of Damage: Damage to the landing gear, right wing and both propellers Commander’s Licence: FAA Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence Commander’s Age: 52 years Commander’s Flying Experience: 2,965 hours (of which 75 were on type) Last 90 days - 104 hours Last 28 days - 31 hours Information Source: Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot The pilot reported that the cloudbase was broken at 1,000 ft, so he conducted a visual “bad weather” circuit, to land on Runway 29. As the aircraft touched down, the pilot realised it had landed both deeper into the grass runway, which was wet from recent rain, and faster than normal. After applying the brakes he “did not notice good retardation”. A go-around was considered but being uncertain of its success, the pilot elected to remain on the runway. The aircraft overran the runway and entered an adjacent field at low speed. In the process, it encountered a mound and ditch, which caused significant damage. The pilot had considered the aircraft’s landing performance, applying a factor of 1.3, and recalled that, touching down at the appropriate point on the runway, there would be about 200 metres to spare. He commented that an earlier decision to go-around would have prevented the accident. The CAA’s Safety Sense Leaflet 7c, ‘Aeroplane Performance’, provides guidance on performance planning and the factors to consider for takeoffs and landings. It advises that very short wet grass on a firm soil base may be slippery, adding up to 60% to the landing distance required.