A small aircraft that flew from Twente, The Netherlands (ENS), to Zwartberg Airfield, Genk, Belgium (GNK) on Friday morning was involved in a crash during landing around noon. Fortunately, the pilot and the passenger did not sustain serious injuries.
The accident occurred around 12:00 (UTC +1) at Zwartberg Airfield, where a Dutch aircraft, a Piper Warrior PA-28-181 (registered PH-RRR), encountered trouble. During the landing on runway 03L, the pilot crashed into one of the hangars adjacent to the runway.
The aircraft is owned by Vliegclub Twente.
“There was a strong and fairly irregular east wind today. It is suspected that this crosswind caused the plane to drift off the landing zone and veer off course during landing,” commented Joeri Gerrits, a board member of Limburgse Vleugels to Belgian newspaper Het Belang van Limburg.
Ongeval met vliegtuig in Zwartberg: vier inzittenden, maar niemand zwaargewond https://t.co/IptFhvevyD pic.twitter.com/NOmT6uVbvT
— HBvL (@hbvl) March 8, 2024
The aircraft and its occupants took off from Twente in the Netherlands on Friday morning. Until the landing in Zwartberg, the flight proceeded perfectly without any issues. “Our runway is oriented northeast to southwest, which sometimes makes landing very difficult. Today, the wind came from the east and suddenly increased more than estimated, with wind speeds reaching 12 to 15 knots,” Gerrits explained.
Normally, planes land against the wind. “But today, the wind blew a bit stronger than anticipated. In principle, if the pilot notices that landing is not going perfectly, they initiate a go-around, if it is still feasible. Whether this was an option today is not clear and will need further investigation. The two occupants were transported to the Oost-Limburg Hospital (ZOL) in Genk for treatment of minor injuries, cuts, and other wounds,” Gerrits clarified. The impact on the hangar resulted in the left wing of the aircraft breaking off, causing damage to the hangar as well.
A similar incident of this magnitude occurred back in 2019. “Mishaps can occur in aviation as well. Fortunately, this is an exception. Nearly five years ago, there was limited damage, and the occupants sustained minor injuries,” concludes Joeri Gerrits.
The paramedics and MUG (Mobile Urgency Group) physicians provided initial care. The Belgian aviation authorities and the local police are investigating the cause of the accident.
