De Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth, G-AXAN, 4 July 2009
De Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth, G-AXAN
Summary:
The aircraft was taking off from Runway 23 in good weather conditions. Its initial climb was described by the pilot as normal until, at a height of about 250 ft, the engine faltered but continued to run. The pilot judged that there was insufficient runway ahead to land safely and that the field beyond was unsuitable, as it contained high standing crops in which the aircraft might turn over. He managed to gain some height and selected a short mown field to the right of the field of crops. He turned towards it and thought that he had cleared a tree in the undershot, when the engine lost all power. He lowered the nose of the aircraft to maintain flying speed, the aircraft struck the tree and became lodged in it. The pilot and his passenger unstrapped and climbed down from the tree, uninjured. The aircraft was extensively damaged but there was no fire. At the time of writing, neither the pilot nor his maintenance organisation had determined the cause of the engine problem.
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