2 days ago
Plane lands in cornfield near Cromer after hitting turbulence
A plane landed in a cornfield after hitting turbulence, an investigation found. On 10 June 2024, an Aeroprakt A32 Vixxen, G-RASP, had been flying from Nottingham City Airport to Northrepps Airfield in Cromer, Norfolk, when it encountered difficult conditions while passing over trees. An investigation led by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found the aircraft had experienced turbulence, and despite the pilot trying to correct its path, it started to rapidly descend. The plane had been carrying a 69-year-old pilot and passenger who were able to evacuate from the plane and were left with minor injuries. The aircraft was left with substantial damage to the airframe and propeller.
The pilot said he had landed "many times" at the airfield in Cromer before; however, despite applying power and rudder to correct the disturbance, he was unable to stop it from landing heavily on its nosewheel. While he could have diverted to an airfield with a longer and more "in-to-wind" runway, he was concerned that any damage to the nose leg would make the plane collapse on touchdown, leading to unpredictable consequences. While the aircraft was fitted with a ballistic parachute recovery system, he was unwilling to use it due to an unknown outcome. Due to the passenger becoming distressed, the pilot said he conducted an immediate precautionary landing on the "softest soil and springiest crop" that he could find and turned the fuel and battery master off before touchdown. The pilot said that landing as slow as possible in the cornfield had achieved a "more predictable" and safer outcome than diverting or using the parachute system.
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