What happened
On 11 August 2007, a Pitts S-1C Special, registration G-BRVL, was conducting a private flight from Leeming. The pilot performed an overhead join and entered an 800 ft circuit. The approach was executed as a side-slipped maneuver with the right wing down at 100 mph. Upon reaching the threshold of the grass runway at Fishburn, the pilot flared the aircraft, leveled the wings, and touched down using the tail-wheel first.
After the initial touchdown, the aircraft settled on its main wheels. However, the aircraft briefly became airborne again after encountering a bump in the grass surface. This caused the aircraft to drift toward the left. Despite the application of moderate right rudder, the aircraft continued to swing left, causing the left lower wing to strike long grass at the edge of the runway. The aircraft then entered an adjacent wheat field, where it came to a stop on its nose and a wing-tip.
The investigation
The investigation examined the landing sequence and the environmental conditions of the airfield. It was noted that the pilot was performing a side-slipped approach, which is standard procedure for this aircraft type. The investigation focused on the interaction between the aircraft's ground run and the specific characteristics of the runway surface and layout.
Findings
- The aircraft sustained damage to both wing tips and broken spats.
- There were no injuries to the pilot.
- The pilot's lack of familiarity with the narrow grass runway contributed to the excursion.
- Reduced visibility of the left side of the runway prevented the pilot from adequately monitoring the aircraft's position relative to the edge.
- A local surface camber sloping to the left influenced the direction of the ground run.