AAIB investigation to Rotorsport UK Calidus, G-CGOT
Rotor blades struck the ground during takeoff, Leicester Airport, Leicestershire, 12 February 2019.
Summary:
The pilot was departing from Leicester Airport having flown in earlier that morning. He taxied along Runway 04 with the intention of stopping at the hold for Runway 28 but overshot, such that the rotor tip was approximately 2/3 m away from the runway.
On contacting the tower for departure information, he was given the wind direction and speed. He checked it was safe to enter the runway and saw an aircraft on final approach to Runway 28. There had been no mention of this aircraft when he was given the wind conditions and he had not heard a final approach call on the radio.
The pilot of G-CGOT heard a radio transmission that the other pilot was intending to per-form a touch-and-go before “he made a radio call and berated me for being in the active area and then complained that he now had to go around again”.
The pilot of G-CGOT apologised, before checking the approach and transmitting his in-tention to line up for an immediate departure. He engaged the pre-rotator and applied a small amount of power, but on checking the rotor speed he realised he had applied too much power and the clutch was slipping. The pilot reported that it should have been possible to build up the rotor speed on the runway, but the blades began to sail and struck the ground. The aircraft veered to the left and almost rolled over before coming to rest upright.
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