Introduction
On 30 April 2009 at 1715 hours UTC, an Aero AT-3 R100 aircraft, registration G-SACX, was involved in an accident during a private flight at Sherburn in Elmet Airfield, North Yorkshire. The aircraft was manufactured in 2007 and powered by one Rotax 912-S2 piston engine. There was one pilot and one passenger on board; neither sustained injuries.
Flight History
The pilot, holding a National Private Pilot’s Licence aged 62 with 179 hours total flying experience (7 hours on type), had successfully completed 10 to 11 circuits. These included a combination of touch-and-go landings and full stop landings on Runway 11. The wind was reported as 150° at 8 to 10 kt.
Accident Sequence
During the final approach, the pilot rounded out too high and allowed the airspeed to decay to approximately 40 to 45 kt. This resulted in the aircraft touching down heavily on the runway. The aircraft then bounced back into the air and touched down on the nosewheel before pitching nose up. The pilot increased power in an attempt to regain control but did not apply right rudder to counter the yaw effect. Consequently, the aircraft yawed to the left and departed the paved surface, coming to a halt on the grass adjacent to the runway.
Damage
The accident caused damage to the propeller blades, nose gear, pitot head, left wingtip, and left aileron. The tips of the propeller blades and the nosewheel assembly were damaged. Damage to the left wingtip, left aileron, and pitot tube indicated that the left wing had struck the ground during the accident.
Pilot Experience and Remarks
The pilot had flown approximately one and a half hours in the circuit prior to the accident and considered that he might have lost concentration.
Investigation
The information for this report was derived from the Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot. The AAIB Bulletin number for this event is 8/2009 and reference EW/G2009/04/20.