What happened
On 1 March 2010, an Avid Flyer C, registration G-IMPY, was performing a private flight to a grass airstrip located at Gadairwen Farm, near Pontyclun. During the final approach phase, the aircraft was flying in light wind conditions with a forward speed of approximately 50 mph. As the aircraft passed just beyond a boundary hedge, the pilot encountered a rapid sink.
In an attempt to recover, the pilot increased engine power; however, this intervention occurred too late to prevent the aircraft from striking the top of a low boundary hedge at the beginning of the landing strip. The impact caused the aircraft to land heavily, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe, including a bent right wing, a damaged propeller, and the right landing gear being forced back into the fuselage.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The examination focused on the sequence of events during the approach and the aircraft's performance during the encounter with the sink. The pilot, who held a National Private Pilot’s Licence and had significant experience on this specific type, was the sole occupant of the aircraft and sustained no injuries during the event.