AAIB investigation to Maule MXT-7-180 Star Rocket, G-BVIK

Runway Overrun, Private Airfield, Graveley, Hertfordshire, 2 July 2016.

Summary:

The aircraft returned to land at a grass strip near Graveley, following an instructional flight. The instructor decided to perform the landing, while the student followed on the controls. After a normal approach, the aircraft touched down just after the runway threshold. However, during the landing roll the instructor realised that the aircraft was not slowing down at the rate he expected. By this point a go-around was no longer possible, so he pumped the brakes and swerved the aircraft in an attempt to extend the landing distance available. Despite his actions, the aircraft came to rest in vegetation at the end of the runway, resulting in the nose gear leg collapsing and the propeller being damaged. The instructor stated that a combination of wet grass and a variable wind becoming a tailwind, had resulted in the increased landing distance.

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Maule MXT-7-180 Star Rocket, G-BVIK 12-16

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Glossary of abbreviations

Published 8 December 2016