History of the Flight
The handling pilot, occupying the left seat, was undergoing conversion training. At the time of the accident, he had completed 2 hours 50 minutes of dual instruction. During the first touch-and-go of the circuit, the aircraft left the paved runway surface while partially airborne. The instructor was unable to prevent the left wing tip from contacting the ground. The aircraft then slid sideways for approximately 45 yards, causing damage to the undercarriage and propeller.
Sequence of Events
The touchdown on Runway 27 was normal except that it was displaced to the left of the centreline. The wind was from 330°(M) at 15 knots. The handling pilot took some time to settle the aircraft, so it was slower than usual at the point where power was applied for takeoff. Forward stick was used to raise the tail, but the nose pitch attitude remained higher than normal. The aircraft began to drift left while yawing to the right, into the prevailing wind. The handling pilot initially applied right rudder to correct the left drift, then left rudder to realign with the runway. The nose then continued yawing left, and as the aircraft reached the runway edge, it became airborne briefly, possibly due to encountering the raised grass edge of the runway.
The commander took control, noting the throttle was at less than the full power position. It could not be determined if the throttle had moved during the takeover or if it had been at that setting since power was first applied. As full power was applied, the aircraft nose began to rise, possibly assisted by a further ground contact. The left wing then dropped. The commander attempted recovery with forward stick and right rudder, but the left wing tip contacted the grass surface. The aircraft yawed further left while travelling sideways, coming to rest pointing in a south-easterly direction.
Analysis
The relatively high initial nose attitude would have encouraged the aircraft to become partially airborne at a low airspeed. It also increased drag, compounding any reduced acceleration that may have resulted from a partial throttle setting. In this condition, the aircraft was particularly vulnerable to the effects of the moderate crosswind. As the touch-and-go continued from the downwind side of the runway, there was insufficient width to correct the swing to the left once it developed. On the final occasion the aircraft became airborne, it was likely in or close to a stalled condition from which the commander was unable to recover.