Savannah Jabiru(5), G-CEEX, 25 March 2011
Savannah Jabiru(5), G-CEEX
Summary:
The pilot reported that he flew over the airfield prior to landing, and observed that the wind was light and from approximately 110°. He decided to land on Runway 17, rather than the more into-wind Runway 13, because he was concerned about landing towards cliffs which form the eastern boundary of the airfield. On approach, he judged that the aircraft was “rather too high”, but considered that there was sufficient runway ahead to land. The aircraft bounced on touchdown, the nose landing gear buckled under the fuselage, and the propeller struck the runway surface. The pilot considered that the aircraft had been affected by rotary airflow in the lee of the cliffs, and that the second touchdown was on a ridge running across the airfield. The airfield operator had granted the pilot permission to use the airfield by telephone, but had advised him to make radio contact before landing, with the intention of warning him not to approach over the cliffs (the operator’s standard practice). The pilot did not call on the radio before landing. Published information concerning the airfield includes the warning ‘Rwy 17 not recommended for first time visitors’.
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