Flight Details
The pilot planned to fly from Bournemouth Airport to Manchester Airport with a single pilot and a passenger in the co-pilot's seat. Arriving about one hour before the planned 1130 hrs departure, he completed pre-flight activities and reached the aircraft at approximately 1110 hrs. The 1120 hrs ATIS reported surface wind from 230° at 10 kt, visibility 10 km or greater, few clouds at 1,000 ft, broken cloud at 1,200 ft and 2,000 ft, temperature 16°C, dew point 12°C, and QNH 1015 hPa.
Occurrence
After engine start, the pilot was cleared to taxi to holding point 'N' for departure from Runway 26 and received takeoff clearance at 1127 hrs. At 1129:45 hrs, about 55 seconds after becoming airborne, the aerodrome controller transmitted “four six bravo mike do you have a problem?” because the aircraft appeared not to be climbing normally. The pilot replied “november four six bravo going around” and shortly after “four six bravo requesting immediate return.” The controller cleared the pilot to land on either runway but received no further reply. The pilot executed a forced landing into a field 1.7 nm west of the Runway 08 threshold at Bournemouth Airport. Neither the pilot nor the passenger was hurt.
Investigation Findings
The pilot experienced symptoms of symmetrical power loss that prevented the aircraft from sustaining level flight, leading to the forced landing. The aircraft's takeoff performance indicated that its powerplants were not producing sufficient thrust. Fuel contamination was discounted, and no fault was found in either engine. Consequently, it was concluded that the poor performance was in all probability not caused by a failure in either powerplant. Although maximum rpm was not selected for departure, this was unlikely to explain the poor performance on the runway or in the air. The pilot maintained that he had set torque to the takeoff limit. There was insufficient evidence to determine the cause of the apparent power loss.
Probable Cause
As stated in the official findings: The pilot experienced symptoms of symmetrical power loss sufficient to prevent the aircraft from sustaining level flight and made a forced landing into a field. The deficiency in the aircraft's takeoff performance suggested that its powerplants were not producing sufficient thrust. As fuel contamination was discounted and no fault was found in either engine, it was concluded that, in all probability, the poor performance was not caused by a failure in either powerplant. Maximum rpm was not selected for departure but it was unlikely that this explained the aircraft's poor performance on the runway or in the air. The pilot insisted that he had set torque to the takeoff limit. There was insufficient evidence to enable the cause of the apparent power loss to be determined.