History of the Flight
The pilot, a 69-year-old private pilot with approximately 8,000 flying hours (300 on type), had not flown in the previous 90 days. He prepared the aircraft and checked the weather, which was suitable for a local demonstration flight. The surface wind, as indicated on the airfield anemometer, was northerly at 12 to 15 knots with moderate swings from the west.
The passenger, seated in the forward cockpit, received a full safety briefing and was assisted by ground crew. The engine was hand-started and warmed for four minutes, during which control and power checks were completed with the slats locked in the retracted position. The aircraft taxied from the hangar area across the grass toward the eastern side of the airfield.
The pilot set a take-off heading of approximately 300° magnetic, pointing left of a large building with flagpoles. The windsock indicated a moderate wind slightly from the left. The take-off run was described as slow but within normal distance for the upslope direction. After becoming airborne, the pilot climbed with rising terrain. As the aircraft crested the slope, the wind became stronger and more from the left, causing the aircraft to drift right. Despite altering heading, the drift continued toward the building. The pilot closed the throttle and attempted to turn right to avoid the building and land on open ground. Airspeed became very low, the left wing dropped, and the lower left wing tip struck the ground, followed by the upper left tip. The aircraft hit a bush, yawed left, and came to rest on its left side with the wings folded over the fuselage. There was no fire, but a strong fuel smell. The passenger, uninjured, released his harness and exited with difficulty. He then released the pilot's harness. The airfield rescue service arrived promptly, released the pilot, and applied foam. The pilot was conscious but had a cut to the bridge of his nose from his goggles.
Examination of the Aircraft
The wreckage was examined at Middle Wallop on 8 June 2000. The fuselage lay on its left side between the lower and upper left wings. The lower right wing had broken at mid-span and flipped over the forward fuselage; the upper right wing had a main spar failure outboard. No pre-impact failure was found in bracing wires or strut attachments. Tree foliage was wrapped around left interplane struts, but more severe impact damage was evident on the right wing tips and landing gear. The fuselage showed little disruption, indicating low impact speed. Harnesses held the occupants.
In the rear cockpit, the throttle was at approximately mid-travel (free to move), the fuel selector was ON, and elevator trim was slightly nose-down. The leading edge slat locking lever was fully forward (unlocked position), meaning the slats were free to extend at low airspeeds or high angles of attack. The left wing slat cable was severed near the inboard portion of the wing, but this was associated with a cut made during recovery. Primary flight controls remained connected.
Conclusions
The pilot concluded that the wind backed and increased as he crested the ridge, causing the aircraft to drift toward the building. Combined with a reduced angle of climb, he had to abandon the take-off, but did so too late. The combination of low airspeed and banking caused the left wings to drop at the stall.