What happened
On 27 January 2015, an Auster 5 Alpha, registration G-AJGJ, was conducting a private flight at Lee-on-Solent Airfield in Hampshire. The purpose of the flight was to familiarise a potential new member of the aircraft's owning syndicate with the aeroplane. During the flight, one existing syndicate member occupied the right-hand seat, while the prospective member occupied the left-hand seat.
Following a brief period of flight, the aircraft returned to the airfield for landing. Upon touchdown, the aircraft tipped forward onto its nose and onto its right wingtip. There were no injuries to the two occupants on board.
The investigation
The AAIB investigation relied on accident report forms submitted by the occupants and further inquiries. The investigation encountered difficulty in establishing a definitive sequence of events because neither occupant identified themselves as the commander of the aircraft under the Air Navigation Order. Due to this lack of clarity regarding the pilot in command, the two occupants provided conflicting accounts of the landing, making it impossible to determine the precise circumstances that caused the aircraft to tip.