What happened
On 21 July 2002, during a flying display at White Waltham Airfield, a DH82A Tiger Moth, registration G-AKXS, was participating in a formation sequence involving three Tiger Moths and a DH Rapide. The planned maneuver required two Tiger Moths to fly toward the display line at right angles before breaking in opposite directions. While the aircraft breaking left performed the maneuver without issue, the aircraft breaking to the right experienced a high rate of roll immediately upon entering the turn.
Video recordings of the event showed that a significant amount of right rudder was applied at the start of the turn. This input caused the aircraft's nose to drop after completing roughly 80 degrees of the turn, which the pilot attempted to correct with nose-up elevator. However, the continued application of substantial right rudder and nose-up elevator caused the aircraft to enter a right-hand spin. The aircraft completed one additional turn before impacting the ground.
Following the crash, the pilot, seated in the rear cockpit, managed to release his harness but found his legs pinned by the wreckage. Although the pilot initially stated he was okay, the risk of fire from a leaking fuel tank necessitated his immediate extraction by instructors on the scene. The pilot sustained serious injuries to his back, partly due to the failure of a shoulder harness support during the impact.
The investigation
The investigation examined video evidence of the flight and the physical condition of the aircraft. Investigators noted that the meteorological conditions were clear with light turbulence. The inspection of the wreckage revealed that the front cockpit of the DH82A Tiger Moth was destroyed upon impact. The investigation also looked into the pilot's recent flying activities, noting that prior to the display, the pilot had been performing aerobatics in a Zlin aircraft, which necessitates much more aggressive control inputs than the Tiger Moth.