Flight History
On 30 June 2012, the pilot of Jabiru J430 G-HJZN flew from Barton airfield (City Airport Manchester) to Kenyon Hall Airstrip in Cheshire with two passengers. During the morning and early afternoon, he operated three additional flights from the strip with other members of his flying club. The grass airstrip is 580 m long, 30 m wide, and oriented 05/23. The weather was showery with a light surface wind generally from the south-west.
Accident Sequence
For the final departure, which occurred at 1551 UTC, the wind was calm. The pilot opted for takeoff in the north-easterly direction (runway 05). The aircraft became airborne before the halfway point. Soon after liftoff, the aircraft drifted to the left toward a line of trees. The pilot banked to the right to correct, but the left wing struck the trees, causing the aircraft to yaw rapidly left into the tree line.
Aftermath
The aircraft came to rest approximately 45° nose-down in a ditch, resting on crushed tree branches. A tree branch broke the windscreen, damaging the cockpit area, but both the pilot and passenger were uninjured and exited through their respective doors. Emergency services attended, and ambulance staff examined each occupant. The aircraft sustained damage to the wings, engine mounts, and nose landing gear.
Pilot's Observations
The pilot thought the aircraft may have been subject to an unexpected wind variation that led to the flight path deviation soon after liftoff.