Accident Details
On 23 February 2001 at 1624 UTC, a Jabiru UL aircraft, registration G-MGCA, was involved in an accident during landing at Redhill Aerodrome, Surrey. The aircraft, manufactured in 1999, was powered by a single Jabiru Aircraft Pty 2200A piston engine. The flight was a private operation originating from Rochester. The pilot, aged 53, held a Private Pilot's Licence and had accumulated 66 total flying hours, of which 16 were on type. His flying experience in the last 90 days was 3 hours, all within the last 28 days. There was one passenger on board; both occupants reported no injuries.
Flight and Landing
The pilot was attempting to land on the grass Runway 26L. The surface wind was reported as 340° at 10 knots. After a normal approach during which the pilot compensated for the crosswind component, he kicked off the drift. The subsequent touchdown was described by the pilot as 'slightly heavy', which resulted in a bounce. Following the bounce, the aircraft touched down again on the left main landing gear. The left main gear then collapsed because its attachment stud had sheared. The nature of damage included a sheared landing gear securing stud and damage to the fairing.
Damage and Pilot Observations
The only damage reported was a sheared landing gear securing stud and associated fairing damage. The pilot considered that the aircraft may have been subjected to previous heavy landing events, but no such events were confirmed by the investigation.