What happened
On 10 July 2009, a Denney Kitfox Mk 2, registration G-BXBP, was preparing for a local flight from Jackrells Farm Airfield in West Sussex. The pilot, who had been conducting tailwheel conversion training earlier that day, was accompanied by one passenger for the planned trip.
During the takeoff roll on Runway 21, the pilot advanced the throttle, causing the aircraft to accelerate. As the aircraft gained speed, it began drifting toward the left side of the runway. In an attempt to correct this drift, the pilot applied right rudder. This maneuver caused the aircraft to rotate and become airborne with a high pitch attitude while still yawing to the right.
As the aircraft climbed, the pilot noticed a line of trees to the right. In an attempt to avoid the obstacle, the pilot yawed the aircraft to the left. This maneuver caused the aircraft to immediately stall, leading to a descent that ended with the aircraft striking the ground in a left wing-down attitude. The impact caused damage to the nose, propeller, spinner, landing gear, and the left wing. Both the pilot and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The pilot was forced to exit through the right door because the structural damage prevented the left door from opening.
The investigation
Investigators examined the sequence of the takeoff roll and the pilot's control inputs. The investigation established that the pilot's initial application of power was excessive, leaving the tail on the ground. This excess power contributed to the initial leftward drift. Furthermore, the investigation looked into the pilot's reaction to the approaching trees, which led to the fatal error in control input.