C3/2004L Incident of Vinka at landing over arrester net in Kauhava on 23 February 2004

On Monday February 23rd 2004 at 09:40 Finnish time an incident occurred at Kauhava airport, in which an Air Force Vinka basic trainer made a landing after a VFR cross country flight over a rising arrester net. The Accident Investigation Board Finland decided March 10th 2004 to commence a civil service investigation to clarify the event. Investigator Tarmo Kulmala was nominated as the chairman of the investigation and major Veli-Matti Ketola as a team member.

The registration mark of the plane was VN-5 and the radio call was M-62. The plane set out from Tampere-Pirkkala in the morning at 08:38. On the flight there was a pilot in command, another pilot and one passenger. At Kauhava the tower controller cleared the plane to the right base leg of runway 35. From there the plane positioned itself to the final as number two after a landing jet trainer. The pilot flew the final approach at low altitude trying to land slightly aft of the threshold to reduce the taxiing distance and the time for occupying the runway. The controller intended to change the runway direction directly when M-62 had landed. For this reason the arrester net in front of runway 35 threshold was to be raised up. However the controller started the raise before M-62 had passed over the net. The pilot noticed the rising net, made an evasive maneuver upwards and landed further away on the runway. The controller made, following the instructions of Air Navigation Services Department, a deviation and occurrence report (PHI) that is intended only for internal use of the department. He did not make a report according to Aviation Regulation GEN M 1-4 of Flight Safety Authority of the occurrence, in which the safe performing of the flight was impaired. The pilot of the plane reported the occurrence using the Air Force reporting system for performed flights and disturbances. As a consequence of these reporting practices the investigation to clarify the occurrence was commenced first when Accident Investigation Board Finland got information about it from the Air Force Staff during 8th to 10th of March 2004. The delay due to using the PHI report and with the investigation parallel PHI and GEN M 1-4 handlings at the Air Navigation Services Department and the conclusions are included into the investigation.

The investigation ascertained the activities of the control tower in securing the aircraft landing before the change of the runway direction, the characteristics of the traffic, flight operative methods at the airport and the reporting procedures of the pilot and the controller. Actions and conclusions, based on the reports, and the cause of the delay in passing the information to Flight Safety Authority and Accident Investigation Board Finland were also investigated. A shortcoming was noticed in the controllers’ working methods on noticing and securing the landing. The occurrence reporting practices were not consistent with the instructions of Flight Safety Authority or Air Navigation Services Department and there were contradictions in the numerous instructions given to the ATS personnel.

The incident occurred due to a too early rising of the arrester net. That was done without securing the position of the last aircraft to land. Contributing factors were the character of the traffic, a “pressing” intensity in radio traffic, lack of using the capacity of another tower controller and an “anticipation” in changing the runway direction. The delay in commencing the investigation was caused by a reporting practice, inconsistent with the instructions.

Safety recommendations are not presented.

C3/2004L Report (pdf, 0.56 Mt)