Team Minimax 91A, G-BXCD, 12 December 2009
Team Minimax 91A, G-BXCD
Summary:
After a prolonged engine warm-up period, the pilot completed his pre-takeoff checks and began the takeoff run. The aircraft was pointed towards and the sun and, due to its low position against the horizon, the pilot was unable to see the aircraft instruments clearly. He rotated the aircraft at the ‘normal’ point on the runway but it failed to climb, yawed to the right and ended up 90° to the runway heading. The aircraft then stalled at low level, coming to rest in an adjacent field. The pilot sustained minor abrasions and was able to leave the aircraft unaided. Several witness subsequently told the pilot that that the engine appeared to have been running roughly, but he had been unaware of this during the takeoff run. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were found to be conducive to serious carburettor icing at low engine power settings. The pilot attributed the accident to inexperience, which resulted in the takeoff being continued when he could not clearly see the instrumentation, rotating the aircraft based on its position on the runway rather than at the correct airspeed, and a lack of anticipation of the possibility of carburettor icing occurring prior to taking off.
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