What happened
On 8 June 2008, during a fly-in event at North Coates Airfield in Lincolnshire, two Jabiru UL-450 aircraft were involved in a ground collision. The aircraft involved were registered as G-NIGC and G-BZHR.
While taxiing toward the holding point for Runway 05, the pilot of G-BZHR was navigating through the grass area. To avoid potential damage to the nose landing gear caused by uneven terrain, the pilot chose to follow existing wheel tracks left by previous aircraft. As the pilot passed a line of parked aircraft located on the right side of the taxi route, the right wingtip of G-SBHR made contact with the tail fin of the stationary G-NIGC.
The investigation
The investigation established that weather conditions at the time were good, with CAVOK (ceiling and visibility) present. The pilot of G-BZHR was focused on the undulations of the grass surface to protect the aircraft's landing gear. Because the pilot was concentrating on the ground ahead and following the established tracks, he was not actively monitoring the lateral clearance of the wingtip relative to the parked aircraft.
Findings
- The collision occurred because the pilot of G-BZHR was not monitoring his wingtip clearance while navigating the grass.
- The pilot's attention was primarily directed toward the ground to avoid landing gear damage from surface irregularities.
- There was sufficient space available on the left side of the aircraft to avoid the parked line, but the pilot remained on the tracks.
- The impact resulted in minor damage to the tail fin of G-NIGC, while G-BZHR sustained no damage.