Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft involved was a Europa XS, registration G-PHXS, manufactured in 2002. It was powered by a single Rotax 912 ULS piston engine. The flight was conducted under a Private category. The pilot, aged 62, held a Private Pilot's Licence and had accumulated 118 flying hours, of which 14 were on type. In the last 90 days, he had flown 7 hours, and in the last 28 days, 3 hours.
Accident Details
On 4 July 2009 at 0830 UTC, the aircraft was landing at Weldon Farm strip, a grass runway 480 metres long and 15 metres wide cut into a crop. During the approach, the pilot turned approximately 50° to the right. He later recalled that he appeared to be too close to the crop. Unsure whether a gust of wind had caused a drift or whether he had been simply too close to one side of the strip during the flare, he attempted a correction. The next thing he remembered, the aircraft was stationary on the ground at the edge of the strip.
Damage
The rear fuselage had broken just forward of the tail fin. Additionally, the nosewheel and main landing gear legs were damaged. The pilot reported no injuries.
Information Source
This article is based on the Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot, as published in the AAIB Bulletin 1/2010.