Investigators have determined that an Embraer Phenom 300 landed long and overran the runway at Blackbushe after an unstable high-speed approach which had involved a conflict with a microlight.
The Saudi-registered jet was already two-thirds of the way down the 1,059m (3,474ft) runway 25 before it touched down, still travelling at 134kt.
UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch analysis indicates that the aircraft would have needed at least 616m to stop, but had landed with just 438m of paved surface remaining – of which only 349m was part of the declared available landing distance.
The aircraft overran and struck an earth bank, which sheared off the nose-gear, before the jet briefly became airborne and collided with several parked cars about 70m beyond the runway end.
None of the four occupants – a pilot and three passengers – survived the impact and subsequent fire.
Investigators have released only preliminary information about the 31 July accident, but the data indicates that the aircraft continued with a fast and unstable approach, at a high rate of descent, despite a series of ground-proximity warnings.
The initial inquiry found that Phenom had encountered a microlight as it flew the downwind leg of the approach at about 1,000ft.
It climbed slightly to overtake the microlight, and the crew received a collision-avoidance advisory ordering the Phenom to descend. The jet then descended at a rate of up to 3,000ft/min towards the threshold of runway 25.
Investigators have determined that the aircraft was still at 1,200ft while just 1.1nm from the threshold, far above a typical 3° glideslope. Its rapid descent meant it crossed the threshold at 50ft but still travelling at 150kt – over 40kt above the calculated target airspeed of 108kt.
Six ground-proximity warnings, ordering the pilot to “pull up”, had been generated during the approach. But the pilot did not execute a missed approach.
Investigators are continuing their analysis of the accident and have yet to reach any conclusions. The approach had been conducted in daylight and good weather.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
