History of the Flight
On the morning of 21 August 2013, the pilot and passenger arrived at the airstrip at Common Farm, Wymeswold, Leicestershire. At about 1230 hrs, another locally-based pilot (Witness A) arrived and spoke with them briefly. The pilot stated his intention to land at an airfield in East Anglia; the discussion of potential destinations did not result in a fixed plan.
The aircraft, approved to use Mogas, was refueled from jerrycans using an electric pump. The exact amount of fuel added is unknown, but the pilot was heard telling his passenger that they would add all available fuel to avoid refueling later.
After a pre-flight inspection, the pilot and passenger boarded, and the engine was started. Witness A, after closing the hangar, observed the pilot conducting power checks. The aircraft then taxied to the southeast end of the runway for a northwest takeoff.
Witness A drove to the airfield gate about 150 m beyond the departure end and watched the takeoff. The takeoff and initial climb appeared normal, but as the aircraft made a left crosswind turn, it rolled abruptly to the left by about 70°. The witness saw large elevator and aileron inputs as the aircraft recovered to an approximately wings-level attitude. It continued on a downwind heading, appearing to operate normally, until it passed from view. Witness A then left.
At about 1900 hrs, the wreckage was found in a field adjacent to the southeastern end of the airstrip.
Wreckage Examination
The wreckage was located in a field of stubble. The propeller and most of the reduction drive had detached. Two parallel ground marks, each 4 m long, were present on either side of the propeller, consistent with leading edges of both wings striking the ground. Most of the wreckage lay approximately 7 m from the propeller.
The propeller spinner tip was buried 35 cm deep. The orientation of the propeller hub indicated an impact attitude of 25° left-wing-low and 80° nose-down. A small cut mark under one blade suggested possible engine rotation, but no significant evidence of rotation was found on the reduction drive fracture surfaces. The engine was probably turning, but power at impact could not be assessed.
Both wings, largely intact, had significant leading-edge damage, more severe on the left. The fuselage was severed just aft of the wing trailing edge and just ahead of the horizontal tailplane. There was no evidence of fire. The fuel tank was intact, but broken fuel lines allowed fuel to drain; the amount of fuel on board could not be determined. The engine coolant and oil systems were damaged, preventing quantification. Staining on the lower fuselage included a thin brown fluid streak extending to midway between the wing trailing edge and tailplane leading edge.
Recorded Information
A GPS unit recovered from the aircraft provided a track log with position, altitude, and groundspeed from 1309 hrs (aircraft parked) to 1317:53 hrs. Wind data was obtained from a wind turbine about 1 km north of the site (anemometer at 180 ft agl).
At 1314 hrs, the aircraft taxied to the northwest runway threshold. At 1316 hrs, it commenced takeoff. Passing the departure end, groundspeed was 62 kt at 120 ft agl. The aircraft climbed to about 200 ft agl, then made a 180° left turn, descending at an average 384 ft/min over 12 seconds to approximately 140 ft agl. Established on downwind, 210 m laterally from the runway, it climbed slowly (average 70 ft/min) while groundspeed remained about 53 kt (airspeed about 63 kt with wind from 166° at 12 kt), maintaining a relatively constant height of about 160 ft.
When almost abeam the northwest runway threshold, the aircraft turned left toward the runway from a lateral distance of about 240 m. The final GPS data point was at a height of about 100 ft and groundspeed 58 kt (airspeed approximately 54 kt), 89 m from the wreckage site and 170 m from the threshold.
The GPS also contained eight previous flights from Common Farm. The accident flight's acceleration profile during takeoff was similar to previous departures, ranking third highest among them.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The pilot, aged 56, held an EASA Light Aircraft Pilot’s Licence with a Single Engine Piston Rating and a valid LAPL medical issued 15 July 2013. His total flying experience was about 460 hours, including 104 hours on type. In the last 90 days he had flown 20 hours, with 1 hour in the last 28 days. His last flight with an instructor was in October 2011, within the 24-month recency requirement. He also had 323 hours of microlight flying. He was familiar with the Common Farm airstrip.
The aircraft, a 1998 Europa XS (serial PFA 247-13196), had flown 1,328 hours. It had a retractable monowheel undercarriage and flaps actuated simultaneously with the gear via a mechanical lever. A stall warner was installed. Flight tests for permit renewal indicated a clean stall speed of 54 kt and flaps-down stall speed of about 46 kt, with the stall warner activating 7 kt and 11 kt above those speeds, respectively.
The aircraft was powered by a four-cylinder, turbocharged Rotax 914 UL engine, with twin carburetors and a balance pipe between them. An Airmaster propeller with constant speed controller was fitted. The FLYdat engine monitoring system recorded eight parameters, including engine speed and cylinder head temperature, with warning and alarm thresholds (5,800/6,000 rpm; 135/150°C).
Injuries
The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was destroyed.