What happened
On 22 September 2012, a Mainair Blade weight-shift microlight, registration G-MZED, was performing a training flight at Eshott Airfield in Northumberland. The aircraft was on a standard approach to Runway 01 under light wind conditions. During the approach, the pilot maintained a consistent speed, angle, and distance behind a Robinson R22 light helicopter.
As the G-MZED crossed the runway threshold, the aircraft was suddenly pulled downward by the downwash generated by the preceding helicopter. This caused the microlight to impact the asphalt runway at a high rate of descent. Following the impact, the aircraft bounced across an adjacent grass area, where it collided with a parked EV-97 Eurostar microlight. The accident resulted in one minor injury to the pilot and one serious injury to the passenger, who was transported to a hospital via air ambulance.
The investigation
The investigation, prompted by the pilot's accident report, focused on the aerodynamic effects of the helicopter's rotor wash on the microlight. The pilot noted that the approach had been stable until the encounter with the downwash. The investigation also assessed the damage to the aircraft, which included the trike unit and wing being damaged beyond economic repair, as well as damage to the parked EV-97 Eurostar.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the microlight's encounter with the downwash from the Robinson R22 helicopter.
- The pilot was not aware of the potential severity of the downwash effect on the weight-shift aircraft during such an encounter.