What happened
On 13 November 2016, a Jodel DR1050 Ambassadeur, registration G-BKDX, was performing a private flight at Netherthorpe Airfield in Nottinghamshire. Following a standard landing on the grass runway 24, the aircraft began to veer toward the left, causing it to depart the runway surface. As the aircraft moved off the prepared strip, the left main landing gear sank into soft ground. This led to a ground loop that rotated the aircraft 180 degrees. During this maneuver, the landing gear collapsed, resulting in damage to the propeller, the landing gear, and the trailing edge of the right wing.
There were two people on board, including the pilot, and no injuries were reported.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of the aircraft's departure from the runway and the condition of the ground. While specific wind data for Netherthorpe Airfield was unavailable at the time of the incident, meteorological reports from nearby Doncaster Sheffield Airport indicated a light wind of 5 knots from 220 degrees. The pilot suggested that a sudden gust, potentially containing a slight tailwind component, might have contributed to the loss of directional control.