Accident Details
On 12 August 2000 at 1745 UTC, a Luscombe 8E, registration G-BUKT, made a landing on Runway 23 of a private farm strip near Huddersfield. The grass strip undulates with a marked uphill slope in the first portion of the landing area, and a wall crosses the approach path just short of the runway threshold. The aircraft sustained significant structural damage to its left side, and the canopy was shattered. The pilot, who held a Private Pilot's Licence, was the sole occupant and was uninjured.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft, manufactured in 1946, was powered by a single Continental C85-12F piston engine. The pilot, aged 48, had 270 hours of total flying experience, with 200 hours on type. In the previous 90 days he had flown 16 hours, and in the last 28 days, 9 hours.
Sequence of Events
The pilot had previously landed at the strip and was aware of the challenges it presented. In the light wind conditions, he was keen to land as close as possible to the correct touchdown point after safely clearing the wall. He was also aware of the importance of having the correct threshold speed for the flare because the Luscombe 8E, not being fitted with flaps, tends to float on landing if the speed is high.
The approach proceeded normally. After clearing the wall at the correct threshold speed, the pilot flared the aircraft into the landing attitude. Touchdown did not occur immediately; as the speed reduced, the aircraft dropped the remaining few feet and landed heavily on the runway threshold. This caused moderate damage to the left door pillar, the windshield, and some lower fuselage skin.
Probable Cause
In his report, the pilot considered the cause of the accident to be an early landing flare leading to an uncorrected loss of airspeed.