Accident Details
The aircraft involved was a 1960 Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, registration G-ARAN, serial number 18-7307. It was powered by a single Lycoming O-320-A2B piston engine. The flight was a private trip from Leicester Airport to Northrepps (Cromer) Airfield on 26 July 2014, departing at 1030 hrs UTC. The pilot held a Private Pilot’s Licence, was 50 years old, and had 295 total flying hours, including 35 hours on type. His flying experience in the previous 90 days was 4 hours, and in the last 28 days, 2 hours.
Flight History
During the flight, the pilot was unable to establish radio contact with either Norwich Airport or Northrepps. The weather had deteriorated from CAVOK to solid cloud. The pilot flew further off the coast in an attempt to get under the cloud layer but was unsuccessful. While climbing with the intention of returning to Leicester, he finally made contact with Northrepps and was advised to head inland, where the weather had improved. He made visual contact with the airfield and began an approach to Runway 33. During the final stages of the approach, the pilot realised the airspeed was decaying rapidly. He applied power but was unable to prevent the aircraft from landing at the edge of a cornfield, just short of the Runway 33 threshold.
Damage and Aftermath
The aircraft then struck a gully filled with tyres, which caused it to overturn. The landing gear, propeller, wing spar, tailplane, and engine cowl were damaged. The pilot and passenger were uninjured and vacated the inverted aircraft without assistance. The tyre-filled gully is designed to stop aircraft rolling off the opposite direction Runway 15 and crossing the public footpath that runs between the end of the runway and the cornfield.