Accident Overview
On 27 December 2016 at 1530 UTC, a Luscombe 8A Silvaire (registration G-BRJK, serial number 4205, year of manufacture 1946) operated by a private pilot on a private flight experienced an accident during landing at Chilbolton Airfield, Hampshire. The aircraft was powered by one Continental Motors Corp A65-8F piston engine. The sole occupant, the pilot, held a Private Pilot’s Licence and was 43 years old with 330 hours total flying experience (185 hours on type, with 4 hours in the last 90 days and 2 hours in the last 28 days). No passengers were on board, and the pilot reported no injuries.
Sequence of Events
The pilot was landing on Runway 06, a grass runway with power lines to the side and across the extended centreline. He crossed the threshold approximately 10 mph faster than normal, bounced after touchdown, and elected to go around. When power was demanded, the engine faltered. Rather than risk not clearing the hedge at the end of the runway and the power lines ahead, the pilot cut the power, landed, and applied full brakes. The aircraft struck the hedge at approximately 15-25 mph and was brought to a halt.
Damage and Injuries
The hedge and the aircraft sustained damage to the undercarriage, leading edge, lift strut, and engine. The pilot was not injured.
Meteorological and Technical Factors
Weather records from airfields in the vicinity indicated that conditions were conducive to severe carburettor icing under any power setting. The pilot recalled using carburettor heat on the approach but could not rule carburettor icing out as a possible factor. The pilot stated that the engine faltering was likely due to the carburettor not having an accelerator pump and being more sensitive to mixture setting than other types of carburettor he had used. The pilot also stated that he should have taken the known carburettor limitations into account and made an earlier go-around decision.
Source
This article is based on information from the AAIB Bulletin 6/2017, reference EW/G2016/12/12, which was submitted by the pilot via an Aircraft Accident Report Form.