A Jodel D117A aircraft (G-AZII) landed heavily when the prosthetic adapter detached from the control column late in the approach and the pilot was unable to regain control before touchdown. The pilot was unhurt.
The pilot met the requirements for medical fitness to fly, but there was no engineering assessment by a suitably qualified individual of the interface between the prosthesis and the aircraft controls. The lack of a secondary device securing the prosthetic adapter to the control column meant that its security was solely reliant upon the interference fit.
The pilot has since modified the interface between the prosthetic adapter and the aircraft control column. The UK CAA has amended the medical certification pathway for pilots with musculoskeletal disability to include an engineering assessment of interface between any prosthesis and the aircraft flying controls.
