History of the Flight
On 23 March 2006 at 1220 UTC, the pilot of a Europa aircraft, registration G-BVOS, was conducting a private flight with one passenger from Sandtoft Airfield near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. The approach was normal, but the pilot stated that he commenced the landing flare too high. The aircraft stalled and landed heavily, causing the right landing gear leg to collapse. The right wingtip and flap mechanism then scraped along the runway until the aircraft came to a halt. Both occupants vacated the aircraft normally and without injury.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft was a Europa, originally equipped with a mono-wheel main landing gear. The pilot and co-owner converted the aircraft to a tail-dragger configuration, a process that took about a year. During this time, both owners did very little flying. Once the conversion was complete, each owner conducted their first flight with an experienced PFA coach to regain currency. The accident pilot completed his coaching flight in January 2006. The owners then conducted further flying together in the days before the accident.
The pilot held a Private Pilot's Licence and was 67 years old. He had 560 hours total flying experience, with 84 hours on type. In the last 90 days, he had flown 5 hours, with the same amount in the last 28 days.
Damage
The accident resulted in damage to the landing gear and fairing, propeller, right wingtip, and right flap.
Cause
The pilot attributed the accident to commencing the landing flare too high, which led to the aircraft stalling and landing heavily. He also cited his lack of recent currency as a contributing factor.
PFA Coaching Scheme
The Popular Flying Association (PFA) operates a pilot coaching scheme offering type conversion and other specialised training. The aircraft owners made use of this scheme to regain proficiency after the landing gear modification. Despite these precautions, the accident pilot misjudged the landing flare on this occasion.