Aircraft and Flight Information
The accident involved a De Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth, registration G-AOJJ, powered by one De Havilland Gipsy Major 1C piston engine. The aircraft was manufactured in 1942. The flight was conducted under a Private licence, with the 43-year-old pilot holding a Private Pilot's Licence and an IMC Rating. The pilot had accumulated 303 total flying hours, including 15 hours on type, with 39 hours in the previous 90 days and 14 hours in the last 28 days. There were two persons on board: the pilot and one passenger. Neither sustained injury.
Accident Narrative
On 8 July 2001 at 1259 UTC, the pilot was taking off from Runway 32 at Chichester Airfield, Goodwood, West Sussex. The surface wind was reported as 260° at 10 kt. During the ground run, the pilot had difficulty keeping the aircraft straight, and as speed increased, the aircraft drifted to the right side of the runway. To avoid contact with the runway edge boards, and believing the aircraft had sufficient airspeed, the pilot rotated the aircraft off the runway. As it became airborne, a gust of wind raised the left (upwind) wing, causing the aircraft to turn to the right toward rows of parked aircraft. The aircraft was barely climbing. The pilot checked the airspeed, which indicated 45 kt. He maintained the aircraft attitude to try to climb clear of the parked aircraft. Aborting the take-off was not possible due to parked aircraft below, and a steep left turn was not possible due to low height. With full power applied, the aircraft was not climbing, possibly due to a downwind component. To avoid a hangar immediately ahead, the pilot turned to the right. This resulted in the right wing contacting the ground, followed by the nose. The aircraft struck the wing of a parked aircraft and somersaulted forward, coming to rest inverted. The pilot and passenger evacuated without injury.
Pilot's Assessment
The pilot concluded that in an effort to avoid obstacles to his right, he had attempted to climb away too early with a crosswind that may have been gusting. He considered that he should have requested the use of Runway 28.