What happened
On 19 April 1998, a Cosmos 14.9 Phase II, 06 MM ultra-light aircraft was performing a private flight from a grass area south of Runway 08 at RAF Connings_nsby, Lincolnshire. As the aircraft reached the point of lift-off, it encountered a gust of wind that caused the aircraft to roll toward the left. In response to this instability, the pilot attempted to abort the takeoff.
During the aborted maneuver, the aircraft made contact with the ground nosewheel first. This initial impact caused the aircraft to slide sideways across the surface before eventually rolling onto its right side. The impact resulted in the destruction of the aircraft. Both the pilot and the passenger sustained serious injuries during the event. At the time of the accident, the weather was reported as overcast with occasional rain, and meteorological data recorded a wind from 110° at 8 knots.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators noted that the occupants were wearing only lap belts at the time of the impact. The pilot, who held a French microlight license and had 2,200 total flying hours, assessed that the incident was a result of mishandling the aircraft during the aborted takeoff attempt.