AAIB investigation to Quik GT450, G-CGSO
Aircraft descended during go-around and crashed into a field, Moss Edge Farm, Cockerham, Lancashire, 6 July 2018.
Summary:
The accident occurred on the fourth training flight for the front seat pilot who was converting from fixed-wing to flex-wing aircraft. After two uneventful touch and go landings, the student pilot positioned for an approach at Moss Edge Farm Airfield. On short finals the aircraft drifted left towards a field of barley and, electing to go around, the student selected full-power and instinctively pulled on the control bar. The aircraft descended rapidly and landed heavily in the barley field, coming to rest on its side. Both pilots were able to vacate the aircraft without external assistance despite the front seat pilot sustaining a broken arm.
One of the challenges of converting from fixed-wing to flex-wing aircraft is that the pitch and roll inputs required are in the opposite sense; for example, on a flex-wing aircraft the control bar is pushed rather than pulled to initiate a climb. The instructor assessed that this accident was caused by the student using an instinctive rearwards control input when the opposite was required. Due to the height at which the go-around was initiated, there was insufficient time available for the instructor to recover the situation.
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