What happened
On 16 June 2006, an EV-97 TeamEurostar UK, registration G-IHOT, was performing a private flight from Barling farmers strip in Essex. The aircraft was carrying one pilot and one passenger. During the initial takeoff roll on the grass runway, the aircraft experienced an unexpected nose-up pitch. In an attempt to prevent a premature liftoff, the pilot pushed the nose back down to the ground.
Following this maneuver, the aircraft began a rapid leftward turn at a speed of approximately 30 to 35 mph. The pilot was unable to counteract this deviation, leading the left wing tip to strike high grass in an adjacent field. The momentum of the impact caused the aircraft to spin nearly 180 degrees. This sequence resulted in the separation of the right main landing gear, the collapse of the nose gear, and the propeller striking the ground, which caused engine shockloading.
There were no fatalities and no injuries to the occupants, who were able to exit the wreckage without assistance.
The investigation
The AAIB examined the aircraft's handling characteristics and the pilot's previous flying experience. The investigation noted that the pilot had recently transitioned from flying flex-wing microlights to fixed-wing aircraft. Unlike the fixed-wing G-IHOT, where rudder pedals control the nosewheel steering in a standard manner, flex-wing aircraft utilize a control system where pedal inputs result in opposite steering directions.
Findings
- The aircraft had a known tendency to turn left during takeoff due to the effects of torque and propeller slipstream, a characteristic requiring right rudder compensation.
- The sudden nose-up pitch, likely caused by the pilot holding the control stick too far aft during the ground roll, may have distracted the pilot from monitoring the directional control.
- The pilot failed to apply immediate and appropriate right rudder correction to counteract the left turn once the nosewheel was lowered.