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The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) today (August 17) published the final report of the investigation into the accident involving a Cessna 172P fixed-wing aircraft (registration mark B-HRH) operated by the Hong Kong Aviation Club (HKAC) at Shek Kong Airfield on September 28, 2013.
The accident occurred when the aircraft was returning to Shek Kong Airfield for landing. The pilot had adopted balked landing procedures with a view to taking off again after a significant bounce of the aircraft upon touching down on the runway, but these were unsuccessful. The aircraft landed on the grass area to the northern side of the runway in an upside down position. Two passengers on board suffered minor injuries.
"After the accident, the Chief Inspector of Accidents ordered an inspector's investigation in accordance with the Hong Kong Civil Aviation (Investigation of Accidents) Regulations (Chapter 448 sub-legislation B). The objective of the investigation was to determine the circumstances and causes of the accident with a view to the preservation of life and the avoidance of accidents in the future," a CAD spokesperson said.
The investigation was conducted by a team of trained accident investigators of the CAD in strict adherence to the international standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization. The investigation report contains analysis of the circumstances of the accident, and reveals that the published balked landing procedures had not been adhered to, and that there was a lapse in basic flying skills on rudder usage contributed to by perceived obstacles threat that had diverted the pilot's attention, resulting in the aircraft veering off to the northern side of the runway.
The investigation team of the CAD has issued two safety recommendations in the Report, namely requesting the HKAC to review and revise its training programme to include execution of unplanned balked landing manoeuvres at Shek Kong Airfield, and take up a proactive role in the assessment of the changes in the obstacle environment near Shek Kong Airfield, and provide advice to its members in this regard.
Throughout the accident investigation, all parties concerned were given ample opportunities to comment on the report.
The report is available for downloading from the CAD's website (www.cad.gov.hk/english/reports.html).
Ends/Monday, August 17, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:02
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