What happened
On 26 March 1999, a Jodel DR1050, registration G-ARXT, was involved in an accident at Wellesbourne Mountford Airport. The flight was a private operation involving two crew members. During the afternoon, the aircraft completed an initial flight where the pilot experienced some difficulty managing the aircraft on the ground, necessitating intervention by the accompanying senior pilot.
For the second flight of the day, the airfield had switched from Runway 23 to Runway 18 to accommodate preparations for a local market. During the pilot's first touch-and-go on this runway, stability issues were noted. As the aircraft proceeded through the second approach, it began to fishtail during the ground roll. This resulted in a left-hand ground loop, which caused the landing gear to collapse and led to substantial damage to both the propeller and the undercarriage.
The investigation
Investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the pilot's experience and the conditions at the time of the incident. The pilot had recently obtained his Private Pilot's Licence and had only 90 total flying hours, with just 5 hours logged on this specific aircraft type. At the time of the accident, the pilot was under an insurance requirement to be accompanied by a senior member of the flying group for his first fifteen hours on type.
On the day of the occurrence, the pilot had been offered the flight at short notice. It was noted that the pilot was wearing heavy, thick-soled boots and had not had the opportunity to change into more suitable footwear before the flight.
Findings
- The pilot lacked significant experience operating tailwheel aircraft.
- A crosswind component was present on Runway 18.
- The pilot was wearing inappropriate footwear for the operation.