What happened
On 3 August 2018, a private flight involving an Escapade 912(1), registration G-ESKA, was performing a landing at a field strip near Cranmore, Somerset. The pilot, who was flying away from his home airfield, had previously visited this location. During the approach, the aircraft's airspeed experienced a sudden reduction. Despite the pilot's attempts to increase engine power, the rate of descent could not be arrested. As a result, the aircraft struck the ground with significant force, leading to the collapse of the right main landing gear. The impact caused the propeller and the right wingtip to strike the ground, after which the aircraft slewed across the field before coming to rest.
The investigation
Investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the flight and the environmental conditions at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that the weather was warm and that significant thermal activity had been observed at his home airfield earlier that day. It was determined that the aircraft's approach likely involved flying through rising air currents over a sloping field. As the aircraft crossed a boundary hedge, it exited the thermal activity, which coincided with the sudden drop in airspeed and the subsequent sink rate.