What happened
On 30 January 2011, a Percival Proctor 3, registration G-ALJF, was involved in an accident at Biggin Hill Airport, Kent. Following a landing on Runway 03, the pilot taxied the aircraft south along Taxiway A toward the A3 hold point.
As the aircraft is a tailwheel design, the nose of the plane obstructs the pilot's forward visibility while on the ground, necessitating the use of 'S' turns to navigate safely. During one of these turns, the pilot steered the aircraft further from the centerline than intended. This maneuver caused the left undercarriage to strike a warning light at the holding point.
The investigation
The investigation established that the impact with the warning light caused the left undercarriage attachment to fail. The collapse resulted in the aircraft coming to rest on the grass adjacent to the A3 hold point. The incident caused damage to the undercarriage, the wing area, and the oil tank, which subsequently triggered an A3 hold warning light.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the left undercarriage attachment failure following contact with a ground fixture.
- The pilot was uninjured during the event.