A privately owned Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-15SB LIM-2 (VH-EKI Serial Number: 10926) was flying circuits at Camden, NSW, Australia, using Runway 06.
The purpose of the circuits was to gain type endorsement on the MiG-15 by one of the two pilots onboard the aircraft.
The incident aircraft in 1999 ©Alan Scott
The Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-15SB LIM-2 is a version of the MiG-15 is a Polish-built two-seater trainer based on the MiG15bis. (click here for more information on the MiG-15)
A previous endorsement flight earlier that day had to be aborted when both mainwheels had failed during landing at Camden. After repairs were completed the aircraft started a second series of touch and goes with the purpose of getting the Pilot Flying (the student) "signed off" on the MIG-15 by the Pilot Monitoring, the instructor pilot. On the final landing of the session, the aircraft overran the end of the runway resulting in damage to the left-hand landing gear actuator assembly.
The initial touchdown was quite smooth with gentle braking applied by the student shortly after the touchdown. As the aircraft was bouncing on the nose landing gear the Pilot Monitoring instructed the student to correct the nose attitude and apply heavier braking. (this will generate a nose-down momentum). The student pilot overcorrected by pulling the control column back, causing the aircraft's wings to create enough lift to get the aircraft briefly airborne again.
The instructor told the student to ease the back pressure on the stick, which apparently was not heard by the student. The next touchdown was on the lefthand main landing gear and caused the mainwheel tire to burst. (possibly the aircraft stalled at a very low altitude). This resulted in a loss of braking and steering effectiveness which ultimately resulted in the runway overrun.
Camden airport charts
The owner of the aircraft had been observing the session from the ground and was one of the witnesses to be interviewed by the investigators from the ATSB (Australian Transportation Safety Board).
He reported that from his point of view each approach on the session was fast and high on the final stages of the approaches. During the incident landing, the aircraft touched approximately 200 meters from the runway threshold, bounced slightly, and floated down the runway in ground effect. He estimated that the second touchdown was approximately halfway down the 4803' (1464 meter) runway after which a skid appeared to develop. He lost sight of the aircraft when it neared the end of the runway.
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