Aircraft and Flight Details
The aircraft involved was a Grumman AA-5 Traveller, registration G-BBSA, manufactured in 1974. It was powered by a single Lycoming O-320-E2G piston engine. The flight was a private journey from Durham Tees Valley Airport to Chichester (Goodwood) Airfield, carrying one pilot and one passenger. The pilot, aged 29, held a Private Pilot's Licence and had a total flying experience of 136 hours, of which 32 were on type. His flying in the previous 90 days amounted to 4 hours, with none in the last 28 days.
History of the Flight
On 19 November 2005, the pilot performed extensive flight planning at home before arriving at the airport, where he checked the weather again. After refueling and completing normal pre-flight checks, the aircraft taxied to line up on Runway 23. The wind was from 210° at 3 kt.
During the takeoff roll, the pilot applied full power and the aircraft accelerated. The sun was low on the horizon and very bright, causing the pilot to move his head to the right to avoid glare, though he could still see the runway centerline. Expecting a fairly long takeoff distance in calm conditions, he glanced at the airspeed indicator and saw it reading 80 mph. He intended to rotate at 70 mph, so he pulled back on the control column. The aircraft lifted off but then suddenly pitched nose-down. Despite full aft movement of the yoke, the pilot could not arrest the pitch rate, and the nose landing gear and propeller struck the runway. Aware that two other aircraft were intending to land, the pilot deliberately steered left onto the grass before the aircraft came to rest. After securing the aircraft, he and the passenger vacated normally.
Damage and Subsequent Investigation
The damage consisted of a bent nose landing gear strut and a damaged propeller tip. During subsequent repair, which included a new propeller, nose landing gear strut, and a shock-load check of the engine, no defects were found. Eyewitnesses in the control tower reported observing a number of oscillations in pitch before the impact with the runway. The reason for the uncommanded pitch-down and the pitch oscillations has not been determined.