Occurrence Reports
Fatal Accident (2) including one glider.
Airprox Reports (22).
Engine Failures (24), including rough running. Lycoming (8), Rotax 912 (4), Continental (2), Austro diesel (2), TAE 125 (2), RR Merlin (2), DH Gipsy (2), Jabiru (1), Hirth (1).
Fuel/Energy
Exhaustion (1), Pipistrel SW121 electric, engine stopped
after landing.
Landing
Accidents (17).
Take-off
accidents (3)
Runway
Excursions (5).
Runway
Incursions (5)
Tyre
Failures (25). This greatly
increased monthly figure is probably due to an increase in reporting, which is
useful because tyre failures are a safety hazard that can cause runway
excursions and often close a runways for a significant period, creating a
hazard to other aircraft. Operators may
wish to consider regular tyre pressure checks which may reduce the incidence of
failures.
Landing
gear (35). Of these, 24
events were an indication fault and 6 required emergency gear extension, all
landed safely. It is worth noting that
in some retractable Piper models (and possibly other types) the green gear down
lights are dimmed when the nav lights are on and cannot be seen in
daylight. There were 5 brake failures.
One case of nose-wheel shimmy on landing caused the avionics to fail.
Maintenance
Reports (7).
Tech
failures Following Maintenance (3), including pitot/static
lines not connected
Taxiing
Events (12).
Cockpit
Smoke (!), CO Warning (1).
Loss
of Comms (2).
IFR
Level Bust (4)
VFR
Level Bust (3), exceeding not above altitude.
Hatch/Door
Opened in Flight (3)
Alternator/Electrical
Failure (1).
ATC
Coordination of IFR GA Flights (3)
Bird
Strike (1), with leading edge damage.
Landed
without clearance (1)
Took
Off without Clearance (2).
External
Load Dropped (1), (Heli)
Rotor
Downwash (1).
Wake
Turbulence (3).
Wrong
Runway (3)
Airspace Infringements (117),
T indicates areas where training could
be improved effectively. S suggests that systemic improvements could be implemented.
IFR traffic affected, i.e. delayed, descent
stopped or vectored around the infringer (7).
Airspace categories affected
were:
Class No -------------------------------------------------
TMA A 16
CTA D 32
CTA
Base 1500ft D 20
CTR D 19
CTR D 6 To/from
an AD wholly or partly within a CTR. Four were aerobatics during a display.
TMZ G 5
RMZ G 3
ATZ G 9 Inc
gliding sites
Danger
area G 4
RAT G 3
Various contributory factors were:
Inadequate planning (5).T
Weather Factors, including turbulence (9)
Transponder faulty or mode C over reading (8). One reporter wrote that it was very difficult to see in turbulence; some are. In two cases the transponder was known to overread but the fault was not recorded or rectified. The pilots concerned didn’t know of the fault. S
Lack of Knowledge (1), regarding altimetry. T
Take Two (4). T
Misidentified surface features, lateral navigation error or misread the moving map (4).
Relative navigation (6)
Confusion of CAS bases (9), including moving map presentation. S
Chart obscuration (4) cases reported or evident
Altimetry (7), one of misreading the altimeter, four were use of QFE beneath CAS, one was using QNH beneath a CTA defined by flight level and one had set standard 1013 hPa beneath CAS defined by altitude. One recently qualified pilot on a short navex between two airfields, both underneath and adjacent to CAS, started on QNH (which was the same at both airfields), changed to the RPS after departure then set destination QFE, which contributed to the infringement. The AIP altimeter setting section gives useful guidance and does not recommend use of the RPS when beneath CAS.
Climbed too soon (3)
Descended too late (2)
Manchester LLR (5), one of which was incorrect squawk whilst in contact with Manchester and in receipt of a clearance. No squawk was advised. S
North Weald Departures/ Arrivals (6). S
Moving map failure (7), 5 of which were due failed link with Sky Echo or Pilot Aware and subsequent distraction. S
Farnborough CTR/CTA (11) S
Distractions:
Workload
(7), instructing or task (5), tech problems, mainly loss of Sky Demon (7), passengers
(2)
Instrument scan (6).Lookout, Attitude, Instruments, particularly altimeter and VSI. Altitude keeping errors are often caused by failing to observe these instruments frequently T.
Frequency Monitoring Code not used or pilot not listening (5) T.
London FIS (7).Guidance as to when this service might be useful is required. S & T.
Glider infringements (2)
Misunderstood clearance (2)
Wrong squawk (2)
Wrong frequency (1), neither Sky Demon nor chart indicated an aerodrome frequency change. Check NOTAMS.
Wrong heading (1).
Sky Demon warning supressed (1) S
ATC shift changeover (1). S
Sky Echo fell off the windscreen. S
Instructor on board (9), often distracted by explaining something to a student.
Student solo (6)
Many of the above infringements were small, that is less than 200ft altitude or less than one minute in duration. This is partly indicated by the small number of occasions when IFR aircraft were affected.