What happened
On 5 July 2004, an Aeroprakt A22 Foxbat, registration G-CBYH, was performing a local evening flight from Otherton Airfield in Staffordshire. The flight was a private operation departing from the airfield's grass runway. While weather conditions were generally favorable with good visibility and light winds, the low position of the evening sun significantly obstructed the pilot's view to the west.
During the final approach to Runway 3..'the pilot was flying with flaps set at 20 degrees and crossed the threshold at an altitude between 30 and 60 feet. Due to the intense sunlight being positioned near the front left door pillar, the pilot misjudged the necessary height for the flare. This led to an early flare manoeuvre, causing the aircraft to land heavily on its main undercarriage and bounce.
In an attempt to execute a go-around, the pilot applied power. However, before the engine could provide sufficient thrust, the aircraft began to roll to the left. The pilot attempted to correct this using aileron input, but this action may have inadvertently increased the angle of attack on the left wing, contributing to a stall. As roll control was lost, the pilot closed the throttle. The left wingtip eventually struck the ground, causing the aircraft to yaw left and rotate approximately 250 degrees before stopping. The aircraft sustained extensive damage to the left wing and fuselage, though there were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report form submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the sequence of the landing, the impact of the lighting conditions, and the pilot's control inputs during the unstable approach and subsequent roll.