Hello!
Originally Posted by
Maoraigh1
He did go-around. If he hadn't, and had gone off the end of the runway, this accident wouldn't have happened.
It doesn't look like the runway had all the approach clues of a major airport runway.
No, he did not do a go-around. I read most of the court proceedings linked above (tediuos reading, especially for a non-native speaker, believe me!). His first approach was for a deliberate touch-and-go to check the runway conditions. On this approach he already was fast and high and touched down halfway down the runway. On his second approach he was even faster and higher, yet instead of taking the
diligent action of going around he continued all the way to a touchdown 2/3 down the runway at high speed. When he felt that he would not be able to stop the aircraft on the runway he converted this landing to another touch-and-go during which he allowed his airplane drift off the extended runway centerline right into the ferris wheel. He claimed that he never saw the ferris wheel during his two approaches... one wonders what he was looking at - obviously not the ASI and altimeter and not the airfield surroundings either. Anyway, the negligence verdict was split 1/3 to the pilot and 2/3 to the operator of the airfield who kept it open despite the obstacle situation.