AN aircraft landing at Henstridge Airfield flipped over after it ‘struck’ a lorry passing on a nearby road, a report has found.

The incident, which happened at just after noon on March 2, saw the small Vans RV-9A aircraft flip over and land upside down on the road, leaving a passenger with ‘serious’ injuries.

The pilot suffered minor injuries, according to a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

“Late in the final approach to Henstridge Airfield, which is unlicensed, the aircraft struck a heavy goods vehicle on a road which crossed the undershoot,” it said.

“The aircraft then struck the ground inverted, short of the runway. The pilot sustained only minor injuries, but the passenger was seriously injured.”

Investigators said the aircraft was on a standard approach path when it struck the lorry and that the airfield operator has since increased the distance by which the threshold is inset from the end of the runway, so aircraft on a standard approach would be higher when crossing the road.

The report details how the pilot of the aircraft recalled only seeing the vehicle ‘just before touchdown’ and that the ‘right wingtip struck the rear of the HGV trailer’.

A road passes the end of a runway at Henstridge Airfield. Picture: AAIB

“The pilot recalled nothing else until he became aware that the aircraft was inverted on the ground, with the canopy broken,” the report said.

“A roll bar behind the aircraft seats kept the cockpit off the ground, protecting the occupants, and the aircraft harnesses successfully restrained both occupants in their seats.”

A car travelling behind the struck lorry stopped and helped get the pilot and passenger out of the plane, before ambulance crews from the Air Ambulance – which has a base at Henstridge – got to the scene.

“There was no fire on the aircraft,” the report went on. “Both those on board were taken to hospital by ambulance and the pilot was released later that evening, having sustained only minor injuries.

“The passenger remained in hospital for three days as he had sustained a broken wrist, which required surgical intervention to correct.”

The plane ended up on its roof after the collision, which happened as it came into land at Henstridge. Picture: AAIB

The road passing the runway sees around 300 HGV movements each day, the report said, and it concluded the pilot would have been unable to see the vehicle.

“The road converged with the runway centreline at a shallow angle and this, combined with the low wing configuration of the aircraft, meant it was unlikely the pilot would have been able to see the HGV during the approach,” it said.

“As the aircraft crossed the road the pilot saw the HGV very close and had no time to take avoiding action. The aircraft struck the HGV and came down inverted on the edge of the road.”

It said work by the airfield operator since the incident would mean it complied with all guidelines, even though this is not required, as the airfield is unlicensed.