What happened
On 13 June 1999, a Luscombe 8E, registration G-BROO, was performing a private flight at the Bedwell Hay Farm Strip in Cambridgescentshire. The aircraft was executing a landing from a left-hand circuit onto Runway 03. At the time, the grass surface was damp, though the wind was light and the temperature was 22°C.
During the final approach, the aircraft failed to decelerate as anticipated. The pilot, suspecting thermal activity might be affecting the flight, reduced power to idle. While the pilot believed the approach was stable, the passenger noted that the indicated airspeed was higher than normal, at approximately 80 mph. Although the pilot managed to return the aircraft to the correct path and reduce speed, a high rate of descent developed as the aircraft approached the runway.
As the aircraft entered the flare approximately 50 metres before the threshold, both occupants observed the increasing descent rate. The aircraft touched down in a two-foot-high standing crop roughly 15 metres before the runway threshold. The momentum caused the aircraft to come to rest inverted approximately 15 metres into the runway. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger, though the aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair.
The investigation
The investigation was based on reports provided by both the pilot and the passenger. The pilot, who had significant experience on this aircraft type, had previously flown this specific approach on numerous occasions. The inquiry examined the flight path, the airspeed fluctuations during the approach, and the pilot's management of the descent rate.