Incident Overview
The Europa XS, registration G-CBWF, was damaged during a landing at Wombleton, near Pickering, Yorkshire, on 25 September 2003 at 1345 hrs. The aircraft was involved in a formation flying exercise with other Europa aircraft.
Flight Crew and Roles
The commander of the flight was experienced in formation flying but was not current on the Europa aircraft type. The aircraft owner, who occupied the right-hand seat throughout the flight, did not participate in flying the aircraft and considered himself a passenger rather than crew.
Owner's Account of Events
The owner subsequently requested additional information be added to the initial AAIB Bulletin. He stated that he did not request an experienced formation pilot; instead, the event organizers informed him that he would not be allowed to participate unless such a pilot flew the aircraft. They then introduced him to the pilot who later commanded the aircraft.
The owner was under the impression that the pilot was experienced on the Europa aircraft. He only learned several days after the accident that this was not the case.
Touch and Go Landing
After the formation exercise was completed, but before returning to the departure airfield, the commander conducted a touch and go landing at Kirbymoorside. The aircraft owner considered this maneuver to have been executed competently, which reinforced his impression that the commander was experienced on the type.
Landing at Wombleton
Upon arriving in the circuit at Wombleton, the commander asked the owner if he wished to carry out the landing. While the owner had not landed the aircraft from the right-hand seat, he wanted to take the opportunity to continue learning by watching what he assumed was an experienced pilot. He informed the commander that it made sense for him to complete the flight, and the commander seemed happy to land the aircraft.
Damage and Investigation
The aircraft was damaged during this landing. The information source is an AAIB Aircraft Accident Report Form (EW/G2003/09/27). The AAIB Bulletin No 12/2003 (page 38) initially reported the event, and this addendum provides the owner's additional comments.