Accident Details
On 5 November 2005, at 1420 hours UTC, a Europa (Tri-gear) aircraft, registration G-BWZA, with a single Rotax 912-UL piston engine, was involved in an accident at Netherthorpe Airfield, Nottinghamshire. The aircraft, manufactured in 1997, was on a private flight. The pilot, aged 60, held a Private Pilot's Licence and had 194 hours of flying experience, including 37 hours on the type. His recent flying experience included 11 hours in the last 90 days and 4 hours in the last 28 days. One passenger was on board. Neither the pilot nor the passenger sustained injuries.
Flight History
The pilot had flown from Full Sutton Airfield, Yorkshire, to Netherthorpe Airfield. Upon arrival in the Netherthorpe area, he made radio contact with the airfield and was informed that the surface wind was from 210° at 15 to 20 kt. The visibility was good, with cloud at 1,800 ft. He carried out an overhead join and made an approach to Runway 24, a grass runway with 370 m (1,210 ft) of landing distance available and an upslope. The runway surface was wet.
Approach and Landing
The approach was flown with full flap at a speed of 60 kt, and a normal flare and touchdown were made. After a ground roll of some 30 to 40 m, the aircraft lifted into the air again, drifted to the right, and then dropped heavily back to the ground. The landing gear was damaged, but the occupants were uninjured and were able to disembark normally. The aircraft sustained damage to the main landing gear, nosewheel, and propeller.
Pilot Comments
The pilot commented that the wind conditions were blustery and thought that runway surface irregularities may have caused the aircraft to become airborne again. The flight test stall speeds for this particular aircraft are not known, but a typical stall speed for the type, with full flap, would be around 44 kt.