A jet carrying one of the owners of Liverpool FC skidded off the runway when the pilot “inadvertently” hit the brake following a technical fault.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found that a technical fault followed by the pilot’s 'inadvertent' braking caused the plane to skid off the runway and plough through a grass verge when landing at Liverpool John Lennon Airpor t in December 2019.
Mike Gordon, the president of Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group was onboard with three others but nobody was hurt.
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The report said the nose wheel steering failed and the aircraft departed the runway after “directional control” was lost.
The report’s conclusion stated: “During the subsequent landing roll, directional control of the aircraft was lost, and the aircraft departed the right side of the runway and onto the grass.
“The commander, in applying left rudder to try to keep the aircraft straight, had inadvertently applied some right braking.
“As the aircraft slowed, full left rudder was unable to counteract the effect of this braking.”
The plane travelled some 30m off the runway but was undamaged except for soil being thrown up by the wheels leaving the aircraft muddy.
Flights were cancelled as a specialist removal team and firefighters spent hours moving the plane and a runway inspection had to be carried out before the airport reopened.
The possibility of pilot fatigue was investigated because the incident occurred during the early morning, but the report concluded that both pilots were “alert and engaged”.
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The report said the command pilot "was unaware that he had applied pressure on the right brake pedal" because "the pedal forces are very light" and he had not been trained in "differential braking at high speed".
He reacted "based on instinct" and "with all of his attention on trying to keep the aircraft straight" it concluded.
