History of the Flight
On 19 April 2018, at 1010 UTC, a Tecnam P2008-JC (registration G-HRLE) departed on a private flight from Fishburn Airfield in Durham. The aircraft had not been flown for three weeks. The pilot taxied to the refuelling facility and added fuel, bringing the indicated fuel level to approximately 50% in the left tank and 75% in the right. After restarting the engine, the pre-takeoff checks were completed without any issues.
Takeoff was conducted from grass Runway 08. The climb proceeded normally until the aircraft reached about 150 ft above ground level. At that point, the engine began to splutter and lost power. The pilot was forced to land ahead in a field of rapeseed adjacent to the airfield. The aircraft touched down heavily, causing the landing gear to collapse and damaging the wings. However, the aircraft came to rest upright, and the pilot was able to turn off the electrical system and exit through his door.
Witness Account
An aircraft engineer who witnessed the flight observed the power loss as the aircraft climbed. He quickly reached the accident site and confirmed that the pilot was uninjured. The witness then noticed smoke and flames emerging from the left side of the engine. He opened the right engine cowling and successfully extinguished the small fire using the aircraft's onboard extinguisher.
Post-Accident Inspection
The engine was later examined by an engineering organization. It turned freely and had not seized. However, the fire had damaged several components, including parts of the fuel system. As a result, it was not possible to determine the reason for the loss of power.