Thorp T-18, G-BSVN, 9 October 2005
Thorp T-18, G-BSVN
Summary:
During a test flight from Ashcroft airfield for the purpose of renewing the aircraft’s Permit to Fly, the pilot noticed that spots of oil were appearing on the windscreen and attempted to return to the airfield to investigate the problem. On final approach to grass Runway 27 the aircraft stalled and touched down in a farm field approximately 50 metres short of the runway threshold. The pilot’s assessment of the cause was that, pre-occupied by the need to land immediately, he had allowed the airspeed to decay during the final approach and the aircraft stalled before he was able to initiate an effective recovery. When he inspected the aircraft immediately after the accident, the pilot found that the return oil pipe had become detached from a recently fitted air/oil separator. He determined that this was probably the cause of oil contamination of the windscreen.
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