What happened
On the day of the incident, a flight was scheduled to travel from Bournemouth Airport to Manchester Airport. The flight was being operated by a single pilot, with one passenger occupying the co-pilot's seat. The pilot arrived at the airfield roughly one hour ahead of the scheduled 11:30 departure time and finished pre-flight preparations before approaching the aircraft at approximately 11:10.
Weather conditions reported via the 11:20 ATIS included winds from 230 degrees at 10 knots, visibility exceeding 10 km, and various cloud layers between 1,000 and 2,000 feet. After engine start, the pilot received taxi instructions to holding point ‘N’ for departure from Runway 26. Takeoff clearance was granted at 11:27.
Shortly after the aircraft became airborne, at 11:29:45, the aerodrome controller observed the aircraft's flight path and queried the pilot regarding a potential issue, noting that the climb appeared abnormal. The pilot responded by stating they were performing a go-around and subsequently requested an immediate return to the airport. Although the controller provided clearance to land on either runway, the pilot did not respond to the instruction. The pilot instead executed a forced landing in a field located 1.7 nm west of the Runway 08 threshold. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger.
Findings
- The aircraft exhibited an abnormal climb performance immediately following takeoff, prompting the controller to intervene.