What happened
The aircraft began its day departing Dunkeswell Airfield for a flight to Retford (Gamston) Airfield. Following an hour on the ground, the aircraft departed with two passengers for Enstone Airfield. After a period on the ground at Enstone, the pilot performed power checks and prepared for a return flight to Dunkeswell with one passenger. During the initial takeoff roll from Runway 08, the left engine failed, causing the aircraft to veer left and come to a stop. The pilot noted the presence of birds in the climbout area during this phase.
After taxiing to a location near the Oxfordshire Sport Flying Club, the pilot attempted to restart the engines. During these attempts, the right engine also stopped. While the right engine was successfully restarted, the left engine struggled to run, emitting white and black smoke before eventually stabilizing. The aircraft then returned to the threshold of Runway 08 for a second takeoff attempt. During this departure, the landing gear retracted at roughly 200 ft agl.
Video footage from a nearby location showed the aircraft performing a climbing right turn before descending behind a treeline. The aircraft reappeared flying west at a low altitude with a nose-high attitude, a right yaw, and the landing gear still extended. While the left engine was running at high RPM, the right propeller was rotating slowly. Shortly after, smoke was observed rising from buildings north of the runway.
The pilot reported that the left engine lost power during the right climbing turn, though power was briefly restored after activating the auxiliary fuel pump. Upon attempting to return to Enstone, the right engine failed as the aircraft passed the threshold of Runway 08. The pilot feathered the right propeller but found that single-engine performance was inadequate for climbing or maneuvering. Consequently, a forced landing in a ploughed field was attempted. However, the left engine failed to produce more than approximately 57% of its maximum power, preventing the aircraft from reaching the intended field and causing it to strike farm buildings. The impact triggered an immediate fire. Both the pilot and the one passenger escaped the wreckage. The pilot suffered minor burns, while the passenger sustained a fractured vertebra, various impact injuries, and burns.
Findings
- The aircraft experienced a sequence of engine power losses, beginning with a left engine failure on the first takeoff attempt and followed by a right engine failure during the return approach.
- Insufficient single-engine performance prevented the aircraft from maintaining altitude or reaching the selected landing site due to the left engine's inability to reach full power.