What happened
On 8 September 2002, a Currie Wot (registration G-AYNA) was conducting a private flight which concluded with a landing on the Northside Grass Runway 26 at Enstone Aerodrome, Oxfordshire. The flight lasted approximately 40 minutes. At the time of the landing, the weather was characterized by a large rain shower located roughly 10 miles south of the airfield, with surface winds from 180° at 8 to 10 knots and intermittent gusts.
Following a successful touchdown, the pilot began a maneuver to turn left to backtrack along the runway, initially allowing the aircraft to roll toward the right side of the strip. Because the aircraft is equipped with a tailskid and lacks wheelbrakes, the pilot was managing the momentum of the aircraft during the turn. As the left turn was nearly finished, a gust of wind caused the aircraft to weathercock toward the right. Despite an attempt to correct the direction with a burst of engine power, the aircraft continued to drift into the wind. The pilot subsequently shut down the engine, but the aircraft continued its path until it struck two fence posts situated to the south of the grass runway. There were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation examined the environmental conditions and the mechanical handling of the aircraft during the ground maneuver. Investigators noted the specific wind conditions, including the presence of gusts and the proximity of a rain shower. The investigation also considered the aircraft's braking configuration, specifically that the Currie Wot utilized a tailskid and was not fitted with wheelbrakes, which influenced the pilot's ability to control the aircraft's direction during the turn.