Crashed aircraft's engine was 'in poor condition and well overdue an overhaul'

The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, sustained serious injuries and was  brought by ambulance to St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny. File picture: Denis Minihane

The engine of a microlight aircraft that crashed in a field in Co. Kilkenny last year was in “a generally very poor condition and overdue a complete overhaul,” an investigation has found.

The 45-year-old pilot sustained serious injuries in a forced landing in the small aircraft during a local circuit flight from a private grass airstrip near Woolengrange, Co. Kilkenny, on March 2, 2021.

A report by the Department of Transport’s Air Accident Investigation Unit revealed the aircraft had experienced engine difficulties at 200ft-300ft while climbing away from the airstrip.

The Thruster T600N-450 microlight was destroyed as a result of the incident whereby it decelerated suddenly after impacting with a line of raised ground on landing in an agricultural field close to the airstrip.

Eyewitnesses suggested the aircraft passed just 8-10 feet above the ground close to a row of houses in another field before becoming airborne again prior to the final landing.

The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, sustained serious injuries but was able to extricate himself from the wreckage and was assisted by local residents who arrived on the scene. He was subsequently brought by ambulance to St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny.

The pilot told AAIU inspectors that he identified a field for a forced landing after the engine power problem persisted after take-off and the aircraft could not gain height. He also informed the AAIU that a replacement engine had been fitted to the microlight after he had bought it in 2017.

'Generally poor engine condition'

An examination of the engine concluded it was “in a generally poor condition, well overdue a complete overhaul, and showing signs of unsuccessful attempts of service and maintenance.” 

The AAIU said contributory factors to the incident were the fact that the carburettor was found to be providing an excessively rich fuel/air mixture to the cylinders, while the ignition system was not producing satisfactory sparks.

The AAIU report said numerous anomalies with engine parts meant they either individually or collectively would have resulted in “a sub-optimal performance of the engine”. However, it acknowledged that flight permit inspections could not have identified latent internal issues within the engine.

The report noted the pilot had failed to provide the Irish Aviation Authority with the required notification for a pilot holding a UK pilot’s licence to operate an Irish-registered aircraft within Ireland. He also did not hold the required medical certificate to fly that type of aircraft in Ireland.

The AAIU made no safety recommendations as a result of its investigation but said the incident highlighted the importance of adhering to specific criteria for the maintenance of aircraft engines.