What happened
On 26 June 2008, a Glasair IIS FT, registration G-LAIR, was performing a private flight to land at a grass airstrip in Woodwalton, Cambridgeshire. The airfield, which was the aircraft's home base, featured a runway oriented southwest/northeast, measuring approximately 590 metres in length and varying between 15 and 20 metres in width.
During the landing sequence, the aircraft bounced. In an attempt to execute a go-around, the right main landing gear became caught in a nearby field of standing oilseed rape. This caused the aircraft to slew 180 degrees before coming to a halt in the crop. Despite the impact, the two occupants on board escaped the aircraft without injury.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of events following the landing attempt and the environmental conditions at the time. Weather observations indicated clear skies with a blustery southwest wind of approximately 19 knots. The physical damage to the aircraft was significant, involving the propeller, engine cowlings, noseleg, landing gear, flaps, engine bearer, and structural components including a rudder skin and a wing extension section.