History of the Flight
The pilot flew to Stapleford Airfield early in the morning to have a repair carried out on the aircraft's autopilot. After the repair was completed, engineers informed the pilot that only the autopilot computer had been removed. At midday, the pilot departed for the aircraft's home base. Runway 22 was in use, comprising an initial 600 metres of asphalt followed by 477 metres of grass, with a crosswind component of approximately 15 kt from the right.
Once airborne, the pilot reported struggling to keep the aircraft's nose up. He attempted to use the electric elevator trim system but found it inoperative. Consequently, he decided to abandon the takeoff and landed heavily on the remaining grass runway, during which the left propeller struck the ground.
Inspection Findings
A subsequent inspection revealed that the elevator trim was in the full nose-down position and the circuit breaker for the electric trim had been pulled. The pilot acknowledged that he had not checked the trim before departure, assuming it had been undisturbed during the repair. He accepted that he should have checked the trim but believed the engineers should have informed him that the circuit breaker was pulled and returned the trim to the takeoff position after completing the autopilot work.
Conclusion
The accident underscores the fundamental importance of pilots performing thorough pre-flight checks and adhering to vital actions without shortcuts or assumptions. It also highlights the need for accurate documentation of maintenance work, particularly when it affects the subsequent safe operation of the aircraft.