Accident Details
On 21 September 2015 at 1545 hrs, an Ikarus C42 FB80 Bravo (registration G-MRSS) was involved in an accident at Eshott Airfield, Northumberland. The aircraft was powered by one Rotax 912-UL piston engine and was manufactured in 2011. The flight was a training sortie with two persons on board: the handling pilot, a flex-wing microlight instructor converting to 3-axis machines, and an Assistant Flying Instructor who was appropriately rated. No passengers were carried. Both crew members reported no injuries. The aircraft sustained damage to its landing gear and propeller.
Circumstances
The wind was from 265° at 7 kt, gusting 11 kt, with good visibility. After completing pre-start and post-start checks, the pilot taxied to the threshold of Runway 26. Pre-flight checks were completed and the first stage of flap was deployed. The instructor advised the pilot to position the control column just aft of neutral during the takeoff roll so that the nosewheel would lift off at flying speed. According to the instructor, when this occurred, the aircraft became airborne but the nose rose too high. The pilot pushed forward on the control column, but the instructor observed that the nose remained too high. At a height of about 50 ft, the instructor took control and pushed the stick further forward to recover speed. Subsequently, the left wing dropped, the aircraft started to drift left, and the instructor was unable to prevent the aircraft from impacting in a field to the left of the runway.
Aftermath
The accident was reported via an Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot. The commander held a National Private Pilot’s Licence and was 21 years old with 250 hours of flying experience, of which 113 hours were on type. The instructor was appropriately rated for the instruction being provided.