Accident Overview
On 17 July 2004 at 1600 UTC, a Luscombe 8A aircraft, registration G-AKUG, experienced an engine failure during climb-out from a private airstrip near Stockton, Wiltshire. The pilot, the sole occupant, was conducting a private flight. The aircraft sustained significant damage and was later declared a total loss by the insurance assessor. The pilot was uninjured.
Previous Maintenance History
The pilot had purchased G-AKUG in January 2004 and operated it for about five months, accumulating around 43 hours without technical issues. Approximately one month before the accident, the pilot observed a larger than normal magneto drop when switching off the left magneto. The vendor removed and repaired the right magneto, after which performance was satisfactory. About five hours were flown uneventfully over the next three weeks.
Rough Running Incident on 9 July 2004
On 9 July 2004, about eight minutes after takeoff from the pilot's private strip at Hungerford, the engine speed gradually dropped. Applying carburettor heat restored normal operation, but switching heat off caused rough running again. The pilot diverted to Popham, where maintenance engineers spent considerable time troubleshooting. Adjustments included mixture, air filter, intake hoses, carburettor, and spark plugs, but no specific cause was identified. The pilot left the aircraft for further investigation and an oil change and 50-hour check.
Maintenance Findings and Rectification
During the 50-hour inspection, a ground run showed a 75 RPM drop when carburettor heat was applied at 1,700 RPM, with magneto drops of 100 RPM (left) and 50 RPM (right). The engine idled at 500 RPM. Work included checking and cleaning spark plugs, inspecting valves and rockers, checking induction seals, removing and cleaning the carburettor, and inspecting magnetos and HT leads. Notably, induction pipe rubbers were not properly seated on two cylinders. Fuel water checks were performed, and the owner was advised to use both fuel tanks instead of single tank operation with mogas. All defects were rectified, and engine runs were satisfactory. The pilot was informed that the rough running was traced to a "mag problem" which was rectified. An uneventful flight back to the home strip followed.
Accident Flight
No further flights occurred until the accident day. The pilot flew to a private strip west of Salisbury, met acquaintances, and after about an hour prepared to depart for Compton Abbas in loose formation with another Luscombe. Pre-start checks included priming three times, pulling the engine through four turns, then attempting to start with left magneto on. After six swings, the engine did not start. The pilot switched magnetos off, checked fuel selector on left tank, primed twice, then started successfully on the second swing. He selected both magnetos on, taxied, performed pre-takeoff checks (carburettor heat normal, magneto drops normal, idle satisfactory), and began takeoff. Due to a slight upslope, the takeoff roll was longer but the aircraft became airborne. A gentle climbing right turn was initiated for noise abatement.
At approximately 150 feet during climb out, the engine stopped suddenly and without warning. The pilot continued the right turn to avoid tall trees ahead, heading toward an adjacent valley to gain airspeed, but airspeed did not increase. At about 50 feet, he levelled wings and raised the nose to arrest descent, resulting in a stalled condition with low forward speed and high descent rate. The aircraft impacted the ground, sliding about 15 metres down a slope before coming to rest. The pilot vacated the aircraft uninjured.
The aircraft was classified as a total loss by the insurance assessor and was not repaired. The cause of the engine failure is unlikely to be determined.