What happened
On 15 February 2003, a Europa monowheel aircraft, registration G-LABS, was conducting a private cross-country flight from Hinton-in-the-Hedges to Old Sarum and back. The outbound leg of the journey was completed without incident. However, during the return portion of the flight, the pilot encountered several navigational difficulties. Initially, the aircraft's Global Positioning System (GPS) failed to initialise, forcing the pilot to rely on paper charts. Shortly after departure, the remote reading compass also ceased to function, necessitating the use of a handheld compass.
While navigating near Thruxton Aerodrome, the pilot inadvertently deviated from the intended track. After approximately 30 minutes of flight, the pilot realised they were lost and requested assistance from RAF Brize Norton Radar. During this period, air traffic controllers at London Heathrow noted the aircraft's presence near Ascot. Upon spotting an airfield below, the pilot decided to perform a precautionary landing. After being connected to Fairoaks Tower, the pilot was cleared to land on Runway 06.
Although the touchdown was described as normal, the aircraft experienced a significant swing to the left during the landing roll. Despite attempts to correct the movement with right rudder, the aircraft swung sharply to the right, resulting in a ground loop. The aircraft pitched forward onto its nose before settling back on its wheels. There were no injuries to the two occupants, though the aircraft sustained damage to the propeller and scratching to the left wing tip.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of navigational equipment failures and the pilot's subsequent flight path. It established that the pilot was relatively new to this specific aircraft type, having completed a conversion only recently. The investigation also reviewed the communication between Brize Norton Radar, Heathrow ATC, and Fairoaks Tower to reconstruct the aircraft's position relative to its intended track.