What happened
On 17 July 2004, a Luscombe 8A, registration G-AKUG, was performing a private flight from a private airstrip near Salisbury. The pilot had intended to fly in formation with another aircraft toward Compton Abbas. Following standard pre-start procedures, the pilot successfully started the engine after an initial failed attempt.
During the takeoff roll, the aircraft experienced a longer-than-usual run due to a slight upward slope on the runway. The aircraft became airborne and began a gentle right-hand turn to comply with local noise abatement procedures. However, at an altitude of approximately 150 feet, the engine ceased operation abruptly and without warning.
In an attempt to avoid a line of tall trees, the pilot maintained the right-hand turn and steered toward an adjacent valley, hoping to regain airspeed. As the aircraft descended to roughly 50 feet, the pilot leveled the wings and attempted to pull the nose up to arrest the descent. This maneuver resulted in the aircraft entering a stalled condition and impacting the ground at a low forward speed with a high rate of descent. The aircraft slid approximately 15 metres down a slope before coming to a halt. There were no injuries to the pilot, though the aircraft sustained significant damage and was declared a total loss.
The investigation
Investigators examined the recent maintenance history of the aircraft, noting that the engine had recently experienced rough running. Prior to the accident, the aircraft had undergone a 50-hour inspection at Popham, during which engineers addressed issues with induction pipe rubbers and magneto performance. The pilot had been informed that a magneto-related problem had been resolved.
On the day of the accident, the pilot performed all necessary power and magneto checks, which appeared normal. The investigation also noted that the engine failure occurred so suddenly that the pilot was unable to maintain sufficient airspeed to avoid the stall. Because the aircraft was written off following the impact, the specific mechanical reason for the engine's sudden cessation could not be determined.