DHC-1 Chipmunk 22, G-AOSU, 19 December 2004
DHC-1 Chipmunk 22, G-AOSU
Summary:
The aircraft was returning to the airfield, which was covered in a light layer of snow, after a short flight in the local area. It joined the right base leg for Runway 27 at a height of 1,000 aal and the pilot closed the throttle and selected full flap before turning onto final approach in preparation for a glide landing. The pilot was keen to land on the first third of the grass runway because the upwind end was wet and soft. It was apparent that the aircraft was very high so he executed a tight S turn, initially banking to the left. As the aircraft rolled out of the second left turn the pilot suddenly realised that he was now too low on the approach, as well as being to the right of the runway centre line. He decided to continue although he would be landing diagonally to the runway direction - not an unusual practice at this airfield. In doing so the landing would be more into the surface wind, which was from 190º at 10 kt. The pilot was conscious that he was flying into the low winter sun, which was sitting just above the horizon. He remembered nothing else before becoming aware that he was being placed in an ambulance. Witnesses had seen the aircraft drop its left wing and descend from about 100 feet aal into the field immediately short of the airfield. The aircraft came to rest upright. There was no fire. The pilot suffered a cut to his head and back injuries. He had been in good health before the accident. He concluded that he had stalled the aircraft in the final turn. He also considered that the angle and direction of the sun might have been a factor in distracting him from maintaining his scan of the air speed indicator (ASI).
Download report:
(11.95 kb)