What happened
On 12 May 2013, a Percival P10 Vega Gull, registration G-AEZJ, was conducting a private flight from Biggin Hill Airport in Kent. Shortly after departing the runway, the pilot was notified by the control tower that a component had been left on the airfield. Specifically, the tower staff observed the aircraft's tailwheel was missing during a flypast of the fuselage.
Following this notification, the pilot performed a landing at Biggin Hill without further incident. Upon inspection of the aircraft, it was discovered that a bolt, which secures the tailwheel assembly to the fuselage, had detached. This loss resulted in minor damage to the yoke, the tailwheel, and the lower rear section of the fuselage.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the location and state of the missing hardware. The bolt in question was positioned behind a fairing within the rear assembly, a location that renders it invisible during standard pre-flight inspections of the tailwheel mounting structure. While the bolt was identified as having been left on the runway, it was not recovered by investigators. Consequently, the specific reason for the bolt's failure could not be established.