Chipmunk Crash Near Bienenfarm Airfield

Incident Overview and Flight History On 17 September 2020, a De Havilland DHC-1 MK22 Chipmunk operated by a German aviation club crashed near the Sonderlandeplatz Bienenfarm (EDOI) airfield. The aircraft, a two-seat tandem metal airframe with a Gipsy Major 10 MK 2 engine, was destroyed in the accident. The incident occurred during a series of training flights intended to qualify a pilot on the type. Over the preceding days, the two pilots had conducted multiple circuit flights together and solo. On the day of the accident, they completed several circuits before the final takeoff from runway 12 at 10:19 local time. ## Accident Sequence Witnesses reported that the initial climb appeared normal until the engine began to misfire, sputter, and produce dark smoke from the exhaust. The aircraft was located between the end of runway 12 and a tree line at the airfield boundary when the engine failure became apparent. Some witnesses stated the engine stopped completely, while others reported a brief recovery of power. The aircraft then entered a right turn, which appeared to be at a slow, near-stall speed. After approximately a 90-degree turn, the aircraft stalled and descended steeply, striking the ground with its right wing and engine. The crash site was located approximately 675 meters from the end of runway 12 and 140 meters south of the departure line, in a harvested field used as a horse paddock. ## Casualties and Aircraft Condition The 68-year-old pilot seated in the front cockpit was killed, while the 38-year-old passenger in the rear seat, who had been providing the type instruction, was seriously injured. The aircraft came to rest facing approximately 060 degrees, with the fuselage bent behind the cockpit and the engine pushed into the forward fuselage. The propeller was bent backward on both sides without leading-edge damage, and the spinner was crushed without rotation marks. Both main landing gear legs were bent outward. Fuel was found in both wing tanks, the fuel pumps, the main fuel filter, and the line to the carburetor, with no contamination in the filter elements. The carburetor preheat was set to COLD. ## Meteorological and Airfield Conditions At 10:20 local time, the METAR from Berlin Tegel, approximately 20 nautical miles away, reported wind from 050 degrees at 9 knots, variable between 340 and 110 degrees, visibility over 10 kilometers, few clouds at 3,200 feet, a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, a dew point of 5 degrees Celsius, and a QNH of 1,028 hPa. The airfield traffic controller recorded a surface wind of 352 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The Bienenfarm airfield is located 8.1 nautical miles northwest of Nauen at an elevation of 100 feet AMSL, with an 860-meter by 40-meter grass runway designated 12/30.