What happened
On 1 July 2015, a Europa aircraft, registration G-TAGR, was conducting a private flight and approached Bolt Head Airfield in Devon to land on Runway 11. The aircraft arrived from the north in a loose formation with two other aircraft. While executing a right-hand downwind pattern, the pilot observed a long strip of pale brown vegetation and identified it as the intended runway.
As the pilot commenced the approach and performed the flare, the aircraft's wheels sank into a crop of barley situated to the right of the actual grass runway. The sudden resistance caused the aircraft to decelerate rapidly, resulting in a 180-degree yaw before coming to a stop within approximately 18 metres. There were no injuries to the pilot, but the aircraft sustained damage to the tail, rear fuselage, and the left wing and aileron.
The investigation
The investigation established that the pilot had contacted the airfield operator via telephone prior to the flight to request landing permission. The pilot noted that the potentially deceptive nature of the airfield layout was not discussed during this communication. Furthermore, the pilot highlighted a lack of visible runway markings at the site.
Investigators found that while the presence of crops was documented in the Pooleys Flight Guide for Bolt Head, the visual similarity between the ripening barley and the runway was significant. The investigation also noted a similar incident involving an Auster J5F Aiglet occurred at the same location roughly two weeks prior.