History of the flight
The pilot departed Otherton Airfield for a short local flight, which was completed without incident. On return, he joined a left-hand circuit for Runway 25. While continuing the circuit, he realised he had inadvertently lined up on Runway 29. He altered his approach accordingly. During this manoeuvre, the airspeed decayed and the aircraft sank excessively, striking a slightly raised area of ground between a ploughed field and the runway. The aircraft travelled a short distance and came to an abrupt stop. The pilot was uninjured. The aircraft sustained significant damage to its fuselage and right wing tip.
Pilot's analysis
The pilot identified two specific causal factors. First, he had inadvertently lined up on Runway 29 instead of Runway 25. Second, after correcting his approach, he became preoccupied with the designated 'No Fly Zone' alongside the airfield, located 180 m north of the Runway 25 threshold. This distraction, combined with the characteristics of the microlight (high drag and low inertia with a MTOW less than 400 kg), led to a rapid airspeed decay and excessive sink rate. With hindsight, the pilot noted he should not have worried about the no-fly zone and should have initiated a go-around.
AAIB observation
The pilot informed the AAIB that he had previously flown numerous heavier piston and jet fixed-wing aircraft, but although familiar with this type of microlight, he had not flown one for approximately 25 years. The AAIB observed that a lack of recency on an aircraft, when coupled with a seemingly unrelated distraction, can occasionally lead to an adverse event, which in this case was not serious.