A PILOT who descended into an airfield too quickly, overran the runway and came to a halt in a hedge, a report has found.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) was called to investigate following the incident at Clacton Airfield on April 17.

The report found the “serious incident” happened following a roughly 60mile flight from an airfield near Cambridge.

The experienced 52-year-old pilot was flying a Grob G115B plane.

The report said on approach the pilot judged he was “a little high” and had increased his rate of descent to compensate.

The landing strip was just 505m and the pilot had previously been told to perform a “go around” if he had not landed before the footpath.

It said: “Despite applying full braking, he was unable to stop the aircraft in the remaining distance.

“[The plane] overran the runway before coming to an abrupt halt in the airfield’s boundary hedge.

“Uninjured, the pilot unfastened his harness and exited the aircraft without external assistance.”

The plane suffered damage to the wing and shock loading of the engine.

The pilot had previously landed at the airfield in a Cessna 172 and assumed that the smaller Grob 115 would "comfortably have enough runway to land safely".

As a result he did not check the landing performance against Pilots Operating Handbook or speak with one of the operator’s instructors beforehand to “determine the suitability of flying into Clacton in the Grob”.

The pilot accepted “a wiser course of action would have been to perform a go-around rather than continuing with a high approach.”

The AAIB said: “While previous experience is generally beneficial, making assumptions based on it can engender risk.

“On-the-day factors, such as aircraft performance, local weather conditions and achieved flight parameters, are key considerations in any pilot’s decision-making process, both before and during flight.”

The incident was one of a number summarised by the AAIB during its August round-up.

To read the report visit www.gov.uk/aaib-reports.