What happened
On 10 July 2015, a Streak Shadow, registration G-WESX, was conducting a private flight at Rhedyn Coch Airfield in Denbighshire. The pilot, who was visiting the airfield for the first time, had previously contacted the airfield to discuss local procedures and had performed several overhead orbits to familiarise themselves with the site.
After an initial successful landing on the grass runway, the pilot took off again to perform circuits. During the approach to Runway 36 on the second circuit, the pilot's attention was diverted by the movement of livestock in a nearby field. This distraction caused the pilot to lose situational awareness regarding the aircraft's altitude. Upon refocusing on the landing, the pilot realised the aircraft was significantly lower than anticipated. An attempt to flare the aircraft was insufficient to stop the descent rate, resulting in a heavy impact on the main landing gear, followed by the nose landing gear. There were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The inquiry examined the flight sequence, the pilot's familiarity with the airfield, and the specific circumstances leading to the impact. The investigation established that the pilot had taken proactive steps to prepare for the visit by calling ahead and performing reconnaissance orbits. However, the investigation also noted that the pilot's focus was interrupted by external factors during the critical stages of the approach.