What happened
On 3 September 2011, during the Sywell Rally, two aircraft were involved in a collision on the ground at Northampton (Sywell) Aerodrome. The first aircraft, a Vans RV-4, registration G-IIGI, had completed its landing on Runway 21R and was stationary on the taxiway ahead. A second aircraft, a DHC-1 Chipmunk 22, registration G-BDDD, was also taxiing following its landing on the same runway.
While the pilot of the DHC-1 Chipmunk 22 was taxiing, they looked down at the taxiway chart and failed to observe the stationary Vans RV-4, G-IIGI, or the ground marshal signaling for the aircraft to hold. By the time the pilot realized the obstruction, it was too late to take evasive action, resulting in a collision. There were no injuries to the crew of either aircraft, though both sustained substantial damage. The DHC-1 Chipmunk 22 suffered damage to its propeller, left wingtip, spar fitting, right wing leading edge, and rear fuselage. The Vans RV-4 sustained damage to its engine cowling, rear fuselage, and tail section.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report forms submitted by the pilots. The investigators examined the sequence of events leading to the impact, specifically focusing on the visibility of the stationary aircraft and the ground marshalling procedures in place during the rally. The investigation established that the DHC-1 Chipmunk 22 was taxiing toward holding point A2 when the impact occurred.