Aircraft and Flight Details
The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-38-112, registration G-JEFF, manufactured in 1979. It was powered by a single Lycoming O-235-L2C piston engine. The flight was a private operation with only the pilot on board, who held an Airline Transport Pilot's Licence with an Instructor Rating and had 2,089 total flying hours, 48 of which were on type. The pilot was 37 years old.
Location and Runway Conditions
The accident occurred at Baxterley Charity Farm, near Atherstone, Warwickshire, on 9 February 2001 at 1400 hrs UTC. The airfield was a farm strip with a grass runway. The declared runway length was 600 metres, which included a right 'dog leg' approximately 150 metres from the start of Runway 24, where the runway orientation changed to Runway 25. The runway had a reported downhill slope of about 1 degree over its length, with a ditch at the end, beyond which the ground rose. The pilot, unfamiliar with the strip, calculated a take-off run requirement of 390 metres, accounting for damp grass conditions.
Accident Sequence
The pilot performed a short field take-off with one stage of flap selected. He reached the required take-off speed of 53 knots before rotating. After becoming airborne, the aircraft climbed to about 10 feet above ground level but then descended toward the rising ground despite full power. The pilot landed the aircraft on the rising ground beyond the ditch. Upon ground contact, the aircraft pitched onto its nose and came to rest inverted. The pilot, who was not injured, released his four-point harness and fell onto the inside of the cockpit canopy. He then switched off the fuel selector and the electrical master switch, and reported that it took five kicks to open the cockpit door to vacate the aircraft.
Pilot's Post-accident Account
The pilot stated that there was no loss of engine performance and that the take-off run had been normal. He noted that his pre-calculated take-off distance of 390 metres approximately matched the distance covered before becoming airborne. He concluded that he had probably rotated the aircraft to a higher than desired pitch attitude due to two factors: concern over the proximity of the ditch at the end of the runway, and selecting a climb attitude relative to the approaching rising ground instead of relative to the horizontal. This over-rotation caused a loss of airspeed and climb performance. Additionally, he remarked that it would have been easier to switch off fuel and electrics while still inverted in the harness rather than after releasing it and falling onto the canopy.