What happened
On 11 June 2014, a Rans S6-ESD Coyote II, registration G-MYBI, was conducting a private local flight from Ashcroft Airfield in Cheshire. The weather conditions were fine, with a light wind of 7 knots from the west. The takeoff roll proceeded normally on the 520-metre grass runway, and the aircraft reached rotation speed as anticipated.
During the initial climb, the pilot maintained a low altitude to allow the aircraft to accelerate. During this phase, the left wing was abruptly lifted, which the pilot attributed to a gust of wind, causing the aircraft to veer toward the right. While the pilot managed to correct the roll, the aircraft continued toward an area of long grass adjacent to the runway. Realising the aircraft was losing altitude at low speed, the pilot decided to abort the takeoff and perform an emergency landing ahead of the runway.
As the pilot flared for touchdown, the landing gear struck the long grass. This contact caused the aircraft to pitch forward, resulting in an abrupt stop. The impact caused damage to the propeller, cowling, landing gear, and fuselage. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the flight conditions, the aircraft's performance during the takeoff roll, and the sequence of events leading to the loss of directional control. The assessment included the state of the runway surface and the impact of the long grass on the aircraft's landing gear during the aborted takeoff attempt.