What happened
On 10 April 2016, an X’air Hawk, registration G-CEON, was performing a private flight at Strathaven Airfield in Lanarkshire. While taxiing along the grass Runway 09, the pilot identified a soft, damp section in the middle of the runway. Although the pilot noted this area, they proceeded to the end of the runway, turned, and positioned the aircraft on the left side to begin the takeoff roll.
As the aircraft reached a speed of roughly 40 mph, it encountered a second area of soft ground. This caused the aircraft to decelerate suddenly, resulting in the nose dipping forward. The force of the impact caused the nosewheel to detach from the aircraft, leading the propeller to strike the ground. The momentum caused the aircraft to flip onto its back, coming to rest facing the opposite direction.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the sequence of events leading to the loss of control and the condition of the runway surface. It was noted that while other aircraft had successfully departed from the same runway recently, the pilot had not performed a physical inspection of the runway surface prior to the flight.
Findings
- The aircraft sustained damage to the propeller, the cockpit screen, and the nosewheel.
- Both the pilot and the passenger, who were secured in full harnesses, escaped the wreckage with no injuries.
- The primary cause of the accident was the impact with a soft patch of runway which led to the detachment of the nosewheel and subsequent inversion.