Plane stalled after suddenaltitude drop at Bellarena

Neither the pilot nor the passenger were injured during the accident although the aircraft’s left stub axle was sheared and its nosewheel bent.

The Ikarus C42 was flying from Carrickmore to Bellarena on July 17.

Although the weather was reportedly good the plane experienced a sudden drop in altitude on approach to Bellarena.

“During the final part of the approach to Runway 30 the aircraft experienced some sink, which the pilot arrested with power,” a new report from the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) of the Department of Transport reveals.

The plane narrowly avoided a four foot wall before the pilot closed the throttle and flared at about three feet from the ground in order to decrease the descent rate before touchdown.

“As he did so the aircraft stalled and landed heavily, resulting in the aircraft’s left stub axle shearing and the nosewheel fork bending. The pilot and passenger were uninjured,” the report says.

The 30-year-old pilot had sixty hours flying experience at the time believed the accident occurred because the approach was slightly slow and the plane had flared too high.