C525, vicinity Bournemouth UK, 2019

C525, vicinity Bournemouth UK, 2019

Summary

On 13 April 2019, an experienced Cessna 525 pilot almost lost control shortly after takeoff from Bournemouth when a recently installed performance enhancement system malfunctioned. After a six minute flight involving a potentially hazardous upset and recovery of compromised control, the turn back was successful. The Investigation found that although the pilot was unaware of the supplementary procedures supporting the modification, these did not adequately address possible failure cases. Also, certification flight tests prior to modification approval did not identify the severity of some possible failure outcomes and corresponding Safety Recommendations were made to the system manufacturer and safety regulators.

Description

On 13 April 2019, a Cessna 525 (N680KH) being operated on a private flight from Bournemouth to Rotterdam under IFR suffered a system malfunction in day VMC shortly after takeoff which caused control difficulties which led to an upset and unintended terrain proximity. Sufficient control was regained to make a return to land possible and none of the four occupants were injured. Although no emergency was declared, ATC received a call from the pilot saying he “had a problem” and, after observing the erratic flight path of the aircraft and the lack of response to their subsequent calls, had initiated a full emergency procedure.

The full content of this page is available to registered users only.
Please Log in or Register

SKYbrary Partners:

Safety knowledge contributed by: