What happened
On 4 May 1998, an Aeronca Champion 7FC, registration G-ARAS, was conducting a type familiarisation flight at Headcorn Airfield (Lashenden), Kent. The flight, which included the pilot and one passenger, departed from Clipgate in favorable weather conditions, characterized by a westerly surface wind of approximately 12 knots.
As the aircraft approached the threshold of Runway 29 following a standard landing circuit, the pilot realized the airspeed had dropped below the stalling speed. Although the passenger also identified the low airspeed and requested corrective maneuvers, the aircraft made an extremely heavy impact with the runway before the pilot could intervene. Following the touchdown, the pilot continued the landing roll and subsequently discovered damage to the cabin door. After taxiing to the parking area and shutting down the engines, it was determined that the aircraft had suffered structural deformation.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the sequence of the approach and the physical state of the aircraft following the event. The inspection revealed that the impact was severe enough to cause structural deformation to the airframe.