Introduction
On 4 June 2023 at 1257 UTC, an EV-97 teamEurostar UK microlight aircraft, registration G-IFLE, crashed at Otherton Airfield in Staffordshire. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed.
History of the Flight
The pilot and passenger taxied from the hangar to the clubhouse at 1120 UTC, where they had breakfast. They informed a witness their destination was Croft Farm, approximately 37 nm south. The pilot later taxied back to the hangar, then returned to the clubhouse at approximately 1245 UTC, booked out, and started the engine about six minutes later. After a brief stop short of Runway 07, the aircraft took off at 1256 UTC.
The climb appeared normal, and the aircraft turned right onto a downwind heading at around 360 ft agl. At about 740 ft agl, it began to descend and turned back toward the airfield. During the turn onto final approach, the aircraft entered a spin from which it did not recover. It struck a metal shipping container and caught fire. No radio calls were reported.
Aerodrome Information
Otherton Airfield has three grass runways, a circuit height of 500 ft agl, and elevation 340 ft amsl. An Air/Ground radio service is available; when unmanned, pilots are asked to make "Blind Calls". The airfield plate advises climbing in the overhead to a minimum of 1,200 ft agl before departing east or west.
Meteorology
A Met Office aftercast reported no cloud below 5,000 ft, visibility greater than 10 km, and light east-northeasterly winds. CCTV images indicated wind from 030° at 8 kt.
Accident Site
The accident site was approximately 140 m from the threshold of Runway 07, adjacent to a hangar on the south side. The left wing struck a metal shipping container and separated; the fuel tank split and a post-crash fire consumed parts of the aircraft. Witness marks and damage indicated a steep nose-down attitude at impact.
Aircraft Information
G-IFLE was a two-seat microlight, built in 2004 with a Rotax 912-UL piston engine. It had a three-bladed composite propeller. The Pilot's Operating Handbook states stall speeds with flaps extended (40 mph CAS) and retracted (48 mph CAS), best glide speed 68 mph, and intentional spins are prohibited. The aircraft was not fitted with a stall warner.
Recorded Data and Descent
Data from a Pilot Aware Rosetta device and CCTV footage were analyzed. The aircraft climbed at about 660 ft/min to 740 ft agl, then descended. The bank angle increased to over 45°, airspeed decayed to around 60 mph, and the aircraft entered a rapid descent from about 480 ft agl. The pitch attitude reached 70° nose-down with an 80° bank, and the aircraft rotated once every 4.5 seconds with an average descent rate of 5,000 fpm. The time from departure from controlled flight to impact was approximately six seconds.
Local Practice
The pilot had been trained to fly circuits at Otherton at specific speeds and flap settings. Normal practice included climbing on downwind above 1,000 ft agl for departure. For a flight to Croft Farm, the aircraft would leave the circuit to the west. The pilot typically performed one or two full stop landings before departing to another airfield.
Investigation Outcome
The investigation could not determine why the aircraft descended and appeared to return to the airfield. However, the relatively high bank angle, decaying speed, and retracted flaps provided conditions for a spin entry. Guidance on stall and spin awareness is available in CAA Safety Sense Leaflet 30.