What happened
On 5 June 2012, a Eurostar aircraft, registration G-CEHL, was conducting a training flight at Michaelwood Airstrip, located near Lower Wick, Gloucestershire. During the flight, the pilot attempted to execute a touch-and-go maneuver on the grass runway. As the aircraft made contact with the ground, the left wingtip entered a tall crop bordering the runway. This contact created significant drag, which induced a sideways motion and caused the aircraft to yaw.
As the aircraft drifted, the right wing made contact with the ground. The impact resulted in damage to the right wing, the right main landing gear, and the nose landing gear leg. There were no injuries to the two crew members on board.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the sequence of the landing attempt and the environmental conditions of the runway. The assessment focused on the interaction between the aircraft's wingtip and the surrounding vegetation during the touchdown phase of the training maneuver.