Narrative
At 0935 hrs on 6 September 2005, the pilot departed Clacton Airfield for a flight to Great Oakley Airstrip, near Harwich, Essex. Before setting course, the pilot flew three circuits at Clacton, which he judged to be satisfactory. The weather at Great Oakley was fine with good visibility and a light and variable surface wind. The pilot flew a normal approach to Runway 09 and touched down within the first third of the 900 m grass strip at between 50 and 55 kt. He applied what he believed to be even and not excessive braking. Almost immediately after commencing braking, the aircraft veered to the right. The pilot was unable to prevent the aircraft from performing a ground loop. The aircraft left the prepared surface and came to rest with its tail in a ditch adjacent to the runway, causing damage to the underside of the rear fuselage. The pilot secured the aircraft and vacated with his passenger without further difficulty.
Aircraft and Pilot
The aircraft was a Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, registration G-BGWH, manufactured in 1961. It was powered by one Lycoming O-320-A2B piston engine. The pilot held a Private Pilot's Licence and was 37 years old. His total flying experience was 100 hours, of which 9 were on type. In the last 90 days he had flown 9 hours, and in the last 28 days, 1 hour. The flight was a private flight with one crew and one passenger. Neither the pilot nor the passenger sustained any injuries.
Landing and Incident
The pilot touched down on Runway 09 at Great Oakley Airstrip, a 900 m grass strip, at an indicated speed between 50 and 55 kt. He applied braking shortly after touchdown. The aircraft then veered to the right and the pilot could not correct it. The subsequent ground loop caused the aircraft to leave the runway surface and end up with its tail in an adjacent ditch. The underside of the fuselage was dented.
Aftermath
The pilot later stated that he may have commenced braking too early and could have used the remaining runway length to decelerate without braking. A flying instructor familiar with both the aircraft type and the pilot stated that the general advice to pilots on this type was to avoid the use of brakes where possible.