EV-97 Teameurostar UK G-CFNW Accident on A6105 Road

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On 5 March 2022, at approximately 1100 UTC, an EV-97 Teameurostar UK, registration G-CFNW, was involved in an accident while attempting to take off from a public road. The aircraft, manufactured in 2008 and powered by a single Rotax 912-UL piston engine, was operating as a private flight with one crew member on board. The pilot, a 60-year-old national private pilot’s licence holder with 950 total hours of experience, sustained minor injuries. The aircraft was damaged beyond economical repair. ## Flight History and Precautionary Landing The incident followed a precautionary field landing made by the pilot on 3 March 2022. While flying from Sherburn-in-Elmet Airfield in Yorkshire to Perth Airport in Scotland, the pilot encountered deteriorating weather conditions upon crossing the Scottish border. Unable to continue the flight under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), he landed in a field approximately 3 km east of Duns. The pilot secured the aircraft and notified the police, the aircraft operator, and the landowner. Due to heavy rain and low cloud, the weather remained unsuitable for a VFR flight the following day. ## Attempted Takeoff and Accident Sequence On 5 March 2022, the pilot returned to the landing site with another pilot. They assessed the field and found it saturated and unsuitable for takeoff. The pilot identified the A6105 road, running south-westerly, as the only clear area available. He paced out approximately 700 m of straight road, believing it to be suitable based on the Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM). Local residents were asked to close the road to traffic. At 1100 UTC, the pilot commenced the takeoff run with full power and one stage of takeoff flap selected. As the aircraft reached takeoff speed and began to rotate, the pilot reported that a strong gust of wind blew the aircraft to the left. Despite corrective inputs, the right wingtip contacted the road surface, yawing the aircraft to the right. The left wingtip then struck a hedge on the left side of the road, causing the aircraft to rotate 180° and come to rest on top of the hedge. The pilot was able to shut down the aircraft and egress safely. ## Regulatory and Safety Analysis The pilot had not requested permission from the Scottish Borders Council or informed Police Scotland of his intention to use the public road as a makeshift runway. The A6105 road, with a width of 6.2 m and hedges 1.6 m high, did not meet the minimum dimensions recommended by the CAA in CAP 793, which specifies a runway width of 10 m and no vertical obstacles within 25 m of the centreline. The aircraft’s wingspan of 8.1 m provided only 1.55 m of clearance on each wingtip from the hedges. The Air Navigation Order (ANO) requires the pilot in command to use only aerodromes and operating sites adequate for the aircraft and operation, and to be satisfied that the flight can be made safely. The analysis concluded that the accident occurred because the pilot was unable to maintain sufficient directional control during the takeoff, likely due to an unexpected gust of wind. The road was not adequate for use as an aircraft operating site, and the failure to seek permission and consider wider safety implications contributed to the accident.