AAIB investigation to Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, G-CPSS
Possible windshear on landing, Netheravon, Wiltshire, 16 August 2017.
Summary:
The aircraft was being operated by a sport parachute club and was on the fifth sortie of the day dropping parachutists over Netheravon Airfield from heights up to 13,000 ft. Following a rapid descent, the aircraft was stabilised for the final approach to Runway 22 with FLAP 30º set, airspeed 85 kt and propeller rpm set to MAX. The weather was good with a surface wind from 200º at 13 kt. The aircraft was stabilized but, on short finals at about 150 to 200 ft, the aircraft started to drop, which the pilot described as ‘the sensation … of being rapidly pushed down’, or windshear. He tried to pull up to correct the descent but landed heavily in a flat, nose down attitude. The aircraft skidded along the grass runway, veering off to the right and coming to a halt alongside the runway. During the landing, the nose landing gear broke off and the propeller contacted the ground. When the aircraft stopped, the pilot isolated the fuel and electrical systems and vacated through the normal exit.
An internal investigation identified that the aircraft had touched down in the undershoot and the nose landing gear had probably broken when it encountered a shallow drainage ditch.
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