Collision with a fence involving a Cessna 150M, Lismore Airport, New South Wales, on 11 June 2019

AB-2019-022

Brief

Occurrence Briefs are concise reports that detail the facts surrounding a transport safety occurrence, as received in the initial notification and any follow-up enquiries. They provide an opportunity to share safety messages in the absence of an investigation.

What happened

On 11 June 2019, a Cessna 150M departed Lismore, New South Wales to conduct a training flight. There was an instructor and a student on board.

The student was conducting a practice glide approach to runway 15 at Lismore when the aircraft’s approach profile became too low. The instructor took over control of the aircraft to correct the profile, however, was unable to do so in time resulting in the wheel spat colliding with the airport’s perimeter fence. The aircraft sustained minor damage.

Safety message

During training flights, instructors need to be vigilant and prepared to take over control of the aircraft at short notice. When conducting practice glide approaches, correct speed and approach profile need to be maintained, as power is not used. If the approach is too low and intervention is delayed, there is an increased risk of the aircraft colliding with obstacles.

About this report

Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.

Occurrence summary

Mode of transport Aviation
Occurrence ID AB-2019-022
Occurrence date 11/06/2019
Location Lismore Airport
State New South Wales
Occurrence class Serious Incident
Aviation occurrence category Collision with terrain
Highest injury level None
Brief release date 31/07/2019

Aircraft details

Manufacturer Cessna Aircraft Company
Model 150M
Sector Piston
Operation type Flying Training
Departure point Lismore, New South Wales
Damage Minor