What happened
On 16 January 2008, an Aeroprakt A22 Foxbat, registration G-VROD, was engaged in a private flight from an airfield near Kilkeel, County Down. Following heavy rainfall in the preceding days, the pilot had inspected the grass runway and noted it was damp with intermittent wet patches.
During the takeoff roll, the pilot maintained the nosewheel in the air as the aircraft accelerated. However, as the aircraft reached rotation speed, the main wheels encountered a wet patch on the runway, resulting in a slight loss of speed. While the aircraft managed to become airborne, the loss of momentum triggered an uncontrollable yaw. Unable to counteract the directional deviation, the pilot closed the throttle and aborted the takeoff. The aircraft drifted to the side of the runway, eventually striking a hedge at low speed. The impact caused the nose landing gear to collapse and resulted in damage to the propeller. There were no injuries to the pilot or the single passenger on board.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report form provided by the pilot. Investigators examined the runway conditions and the sequence of the takeoff roll. It was noted that the pilot had 228 total flying hours, with 4mu43 hours specifically on this aircraft type. The investigation focused on the interaction between the aircraft's tires and the damp runway surface during the critical rotation phase.