Aircraft Information
The aircraft involved was a Europa XS, registered G-WIKI. It was powered by a single Rotax 912ULS piston engine and was manufactured in 2011.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a Private Pilot's Licence and was 61 years old. He had a total of 678 hours of flying experience, of which 76 hours were on the Europa XS. In the 90 days preceding the accident, he had flown 11 hours, with 4 hours in the last 28 days.
Flight and Approaches
The private flight originated and was to return to Sleap Airfield, Shropshire. Weather conditions were fine with calm winds and good visibility, and Runway 18 was in use. The pilot made three approaches. The first two were aborted as go-arounds because the runway was occupied by another aircraft.
On the third approach, after the pilot had made his downwind call on the Air/Ground frequency, another aircraft requested a straight-in approach. The pilot could not see that aircraft and continued to finals, making standard circuit calls.
Landing and Accident
The aircraft touched down but was too fast and bounced. Several additional bounces occurred until the propeller struck the ground, causing the engine to stop. The aircraft came to rest on the runway.
Occupants and Damage
Both occupants, the pilot and one passenger, were wearing full harnesses and were not injured. They evacuated through the normal access doors. The propeller, forward fuselage, and main landing gear sustained damage.
Reported Cause
In the pilot's report, he stated that the accident was caused by excess speed on landing and considered the distraction from the other aircraft as a contributory factor.