What happened
On 21 June 2015, a Skyraider Aviation Phantom, registration G-MJTZ, departed from Sandown Airport on the Isle of Wight. The flight was a private operation intended to proceed to Defford Airfield. After the aircraft reached an altitude of 1,900 ft, the single Rotax 462 engine ceased functioning.
The pilot initiated an emergency procedure and performed a successful forced landing in a grassy area situated roughly 2 nm southeast of Newport. While the landing itself was controlled, the aircraft's nosewheel and left mainwheel sustained damage when the landing roll encountered uneven terrain that had been hidden by long grass. The pilot escaped the incident without injury.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft following the incident to determine the source of the power loss. During a post-flight inspection of the engine, the pilot noted that fuel remained available in both the fuel tank and the carburetor float bowl. However, upon removing the spark plugs, the rear plug was found to be saturated with unburned fuel.
Findings
- The engine failure was caused by a failure of the ignition system in the rear cylinder.
- The presence of unburned fuel on the spark plug confirmed that while fuel delivery was functional, the combustion process was interrupted by an ignition fault.
- The damage to the landing gear was a result of the aircraft encountering obscured ground irregularities during the landing roll.