What happened
On 2 September 2014, a Eurofox 912(S), registration G-CHUP, was performing a private flight near Hay-on-Wye, Powys. The aircraft was attempting to land at a private grass airstrip, which measured 750 m in length and 30 m in width, oriented 06/24.
Upon overflying the strip, the pilot elected to land in a north-easterly direction, despite a light surface wind from the north-east at 2 or 3 kt. During the landing roll, the aircraft drifted toward the left side of the runway. In the process, the left wingtip made contact with a pole supporting 11 kVA power cables that run across the 06 threshold and parallel to the northern edge of the runway. The impact caused the aircraft to yaw left through 270° before coming to a halt. There were no injuries to the two occupants, though the aircraft sustained damage to the cockpit area and the left wingtip.
The investigation
The investigation examined the layout of the airstrip and the presence of overhead utilities. It was noted that information regarding the 11 kVA power cables running along the northern edge of the runway was available to pilots via online resources. The pilot provided information regarding the sequence of events and noted that the cables were not seen prior to the impact. Additionally, the pilot suggested that an uneven braking force might have contributed to the drift, noting that the left brake may have been applying more pressure despite a symmetrical application of the brakes.