What happened
On 8 May 2016, an Aerotechnik EV-97 Eurostar SL, registration G-CGTT, was performing a private flight when it experienced a runway excursion at Deanland Airfield, East Sussex. After observing the airfield windsocks and listening to radio traffic, the pilot elected to land on Runway 24, a decision also influenced by the upward slope of the runway profile.
During the landing roll, the aircraft touched down further down the runway and at a higher speed than the pilot had anticipated. Despite the increased speed, the pilot believed the aircraft had decelerated sufficiently to safely exit the runway, with approximately 80 m of runway remaining. As the pilot applied back pressure to the control stick and attempted to steer the aircraft to the right using the nosewheel, directional control was lost. The right wingtip subsequently struck a fence post at the edge of the runway, causing the aircraft to yaw into a wire fence where it eventually stopped. There were no injuries to the two occupants on board.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's damage, which included the propeller, wing skins, leading edges, right aileron, and the rear spar attachment. Investigators reviewed the airfield's weather station data, which revealed that at the time of the accident, the wind was from 112° at 4 kt, resulting in a 3 kt tailwind. The investigation also looked into the pilot's maneuvers during the landing roll and the effectiveness of the steerable nosewheel under back pressure.