Abnormal ground contact with the runway and excursion from/overshooting of the runway

What this relates to

Wind shear and gusts, optical illusions, thermal updrafts or incorrect estimation of the rate of descent during the landing phase can lead to abnormal contact with the runway. If the aircraft descends too quickly, the landing gear may be damaged during touchdown. Excessive speed ends in a runway overshoot.

Example

While landing, an aircraft with a tail wheel is caught in a gust of wind. The wind pushes the left wing and the tail upwards. The pilot successfully takes corrective action. However, while the flight instructor (sitting in the front) tries to pull the control stick back to bring the tail down, the student (in the back seat) pushes the stick forwards. Combined with excessive braking, this leads to the aircraft flipping over.

Commentary on the 2023 figures

General aviation recorded a somewhat higher number of unusual runway contacts last year (+24%), mainly caused by poor training and lack of flying skills among general aviation pilots. In total, there were five serious incidents; three ended with overshooting of the runway or damage to the wing tips or propellers. Luckily there were no injuries and no fatalities.
There were no runway overshoots in commercial air transport. Here the main problems were hard (19%) or long landings (78%) in 70 cases. The main cause of these incidents was difficult weather conditions such as turbulence, wind shear and convective lift during landing.

Back to table of contents

Last modification 01.05.2024