Independent report

AAIB Record-only investigations reviewed: May – June 2021

Published 12 August 2021

Event Date	Aircraft Type	Registration	Location	Record Only Occurrence Text
11 Oct 2020	Europa XS	G-CEMI	Gloucestershire Airport, Gloucestershire	While landing the pilot lost sight of the ground in bright sunlight. The aircraft landed heavily which resulted in the nose landing gear leg being bent and damage to the propeller.
13 Apr 2021	Rans S6-ESD XL (Modified)	G-MZBD	Westonzoyland Airfield, Somerset	The pilot was performing circuits that required a tight turn left to line up with the runway. After performing the turn the aircraft experienced a high sink rate. Despite the application of full power the aircraft’s landing gear struck a fence. The subsequent hard landing resulted in damage to the propeller, fuselage and landing gear.
19 Apr 2021	Pioneer 300	G-EWES	Isle of Jura, Argyll and Bute	The pilot had intended to fly overhead the sandy beach at Shian Bay first to check if it was clear of people before making an approach for a touch-and-go. Whilst descending towards the beach, he saw that it was clear and decided to perform the touch-and-go from this first approach. However, he forgot to lower the landing gear and, upon touching down, the aircraft slid along the beach before coming to a stop. The pilot was uninjured but the aircraft’s fuselage, propeller and nose leg were damaged.
22 Apr 2021	DH82A Tiger Moth	G-ANFM	White Waltham Airfield, Berkshire	Whilst manoeuvring on the ground G-ANFM made contact with a parked aircraft. The wingtip fairing of the parked aircraft was damaged in the collision but there was no damage to the Tiger Moth.
27 Apr 2021	Grif HX11/Eurofly Snake	G-CLJB	Sutton Meadows Airfield, Cambridgeshire	Just before touchdown, the aircraft veered to the right slightly. On landing, the front wheel separated from the hub as the spokes failed and the aircraft toppled over to the left.
01 May 2021	Pegasus Quik	G-CCGC	East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian	The pilot decided to abort the takeoff because he believed the aircraft would not become airborne before the end of the runway. He was unable to stop in the remaining distance and the aircraft came to rest inverted after striking kerb stones and a fence.
05 May 2021	Marquart MA5 Charger	G-BVJX	City Airport & Heliport, Greater Manchester	The aircraft hit a bump on the grass runway shortly after touchdown, precipitating a suspension failure which allowed the mainwheels to fold back into the lower wing. Subsequent inspection found evidence of a previously undetected fatigue crack in the suspension support tubes. The owners of G-BVJX alerted the owner of the only other aircraft of this type in the UK to the potential for fatigue cracking in the support tubes.
06 May 2021	Magni M24C	G-IROX	Popham Airfield, Hampshire	After hitting a bump during takeoff the aircraft became nose high and moved to the left, the pilot abandoned the takeoff and closed the throttle, which tightened the left turn. The aircraft departed the runway where it struck another bump which caused it to roll on its right side.
07 May 2021	Bellanca 8GCBC	G-BGGD	Bidford Airfield, Warwickshire	During ‘tailwheel differences training’, the aircraft ballooned on landing and then touched down firmly. The left landing gear strut fractured close to the fuselage attachment, resulting in a ground loop and some further damage. A photograph of the fracture surface suggested there was a pre-existing crack before the strut failed, with marks indicating fatigue.
07 May 2021	DA 42 M	G-ZATG	Leeds Airport	The crew had briefed to conduct a practice EFATO followed by two asymmetric circuits as part of refresher training, with the first circuit being an overshoot and the second to land; the first circuit was completed successfully. However, because the airport was shortly to close, the crew elected to fly a tighter second circuit and omitted to lower the landing gear. Upon touching down, the aircraft slid along the runway before coming to a stop. The fuselage, nacelles and propellers sustained damage.
16 May 2021	Rotorsport UK Calidus	G-CGMD	RAF Mona, Isle of Anglesey	The pilot engaged the pre-rotator system but the rotor rpm did not increase when he advanced the engine throttle. With the engine at high power the brake lever was inadvertently released and the aircraft accelerated rapidly, causing a rearwards movement of the control column. The rotor struck the fin and the aircraft departed the runway, striking the airfield boundary fence. The pilot considered the cause of the accident to be his increasing engine power despite the pre-rotator system failing to increase the rotor rpm, combined with a lack of recent flying practice due to COVID-19 restrictions.
27 May 2021	MAINAIR BLADE 912	G-CBOM	Graveley, Hertfordshire	After flying for 75 minutes in turbulent conditions, described by the pilot as “a heavy workload in a flex-wing”, the pilot flew a normal approach and positioned the aircraft to land. However, after the initial flare, he reported encountering “unexpected significant sink” and, despite taking corrective action, the aircraft landed heavily and sustained substantial damage, including a fractured keel tube.
27 May 2021	Cessna F172M	G-BBOA	Beccles Airport, Suffolk	The aircraft was taxiing to a parking area after landing and the pilot chose to route between a row of parked aircraft and a parked microlight. Believing he was clear of the microlight, the pilot’s attention became focussed on the row of parked aircraft, but the aircraft’s wingtip struck the left wing strut on the microlight.
29 May 2021	Cessna 150L	G-OKED	City Airport & Heliport, Greater Manchester	The aircraft touched down to the left of the centre line when the student applied full power. The aircraft left the runway, going across the safeguarding area and the parallel runway before coming to a stop south of the taxiway.
29 May 2021	Piper PA-28R-201T	G-BMIV	Sandown Airport, Isle of Wight	G-BMIV was following an airport vehicle along a taxiway at low speed to a parking place. There were many parked aircraft on either side due to a flying event at the airfield. The wing leading edge of G-BMIV struck the aileron of a parked PA-28 aircraft.
30 May 2021	EV-97 Team Eurostar UK	G-KEJY	Darley Moor Airfield, Ashbourne, Derbyshire	Shortly before touchdown the aircraft encountered a strong crosswind and windshear. The aircraft was slow and touched down before the runway. The propeller and nose landing gear were damaged, and there were no reported injuries.
06 Jun 2021	Piper PA-25-235	G-LYND	Rufforth Airfield, York	The pilot reported that the tailspring of G-LYND snapped on the rollout from a normal landing, after encountering a medium-sized bump.
12 Jun 2021	Rans S6-ESD XL (Modified)	G-MZLL	Haxted Airfield, Surrey	After making an approach in variable wind conditions the aircraft descended steeply after passing over some trees close to the runway threshold. The aircraft became airborne after the initial touch-down and, after floating for a short distance, touched down and then became airborne again. When the aircraft touched down again the nose landing gear collapsed and the aircraft came to rest.
15 Jun 2021	Tecnam P2008-JC	G-RFCB	RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire	The aircraft bounced multiple times during landing. The student pilot, who was flying solo, attempted to go around. The aircraft landed on its nose gear which collapsed, causing the propeller to strike the runway. The nose gear, propeller and lower engine cowling were damaged, and there was a leak from the fuel tank in the right wing.