Introduction
On 5 February 2018 at 1410 UTC, a Jabiru UL-450, registration G-JAXS, sustained damage during a takeoff accident at Welshpool Airport, Powys. The aircraft was on a private flight with a single pilot and no passengers. The pilot was uninjured.
History of the Flight
The pilot held a National Private Pilot’s Licence and had accrued 114 hours of flying experience, of which only 2 hours were on type. His last flight had been 89 days prior. Two days before the accident, the pilot replaced the inner tube on the left mainwheel due to a deflated tyre. A flight instructor subsequently moved the aircraft and noted that the brake on the left mainwheel seemed binding; a message was passed to the pilot. On the day of the accident, the pilot inspected the aircraft and identified no issues with the wheelbrakes before start-up or during taxiing approximately 1,000 m to the threshold of asphalt Runway 04.
Accident Sequence
During the takeoff roll, as the aircraft began to accelerate, it veered quickly to the left. The pilot applied sufficient right rudder to counteract propeller torque but was unable to keep the aircraft on the 18 m wide runway. He switched off the engine but could not prevent the aircraft from running approximately 46 m across an adjacent grass area and striking the airfield boundary hedge. The aircraft came to rest in the hedgerow, and the pilot escaped through the passenger door as his own door was blocked.
Post-Accident Observations
After the accident, a mark in the grass suggested that the left wheel was not rotating when the aircraft departed the runway. This may indicate that the left wheel was subject to an intermittent fault which caused it to bind. No wheelbrake issues or defects were apparent when the aircraft was inspected at a maintenance facility. The pilot noted in hindsight that a more experienced pilot might have been able to stop without hitting the hedge. The pilot also realised that, given the period since his last flight, he should have considered asking an instructor to accompany him.