History of the Flight
The pilot departed Lymm Dam, where he kept the aircraft, for a short flight to Dairy House Farm Airstrip near Nantwich, Cheshire. A witness who regularly flew from the airstrip saw the aircraft circling overhead and drove to welcome the visiting pilot. After landing, the pilot mentioned that he had previously experienced problems with his plane's electrics. Before departure, the witness advised the pilot to abort takeoff if the aircraft had not become airborne before the runway intersection. After a stay of about half an hour, the pilot taxied to the southeastern end of the airstrip, paused for approximately two minutes, then lined up and commenced takeoff. He became airborne before the runway intersection.
The initial climb appeared normal until, at a height of approximately 100 to 150 ft, the engine coughed. The engine sound briefly returned to normal but then coughed again as the aircraft passed over the end of the runway. The aircraft made a coordinated turn to the right, flying almost parallel to the runway in the opposite direction of takeoff while losing height. Witnesses reported that the propeller stopped turning. At a height of approximately 60 ft, the aircraft entered a tight right turn and impacted the ground in a field north of the airstrip, separated by a double railway line.
Crash Site Examination
The aircraft crashed on a heading of 260°M in a small field adjacent to the railway line. Both wings and the forward fuselage section were destroyed, with the wreckage trail extending 20 m from the initial impact point on a heading of 155°M. Damage and ground marks indicated that the right wing struck the ground first when the aircraft was in a near-vertical pitch attitude. The right wing spar failed near the fuselage, and the aircraft continued laterally before the propeller struck the ground and the engine separated. The aircraft then cartwheeled, and the tail section came to rest upside down on the broken left wing.
Both carburetors separated from their rubber sockets but remained connected to throttle cables and fuel feed pipe. One carburetor fuel bowl was half full; the other was empty. The gascolator was damaged and contained no fuel or debris. The fuel tank had disintegrated, with a strong smell of fuel in the ground. The fuel cock was in the on position. The propeller hub bent backward, dislodging one blade; the other blade broke near the root. The leading edges of both blades were undamaged.
Flying control rods and cables were connected, with no evidence of pre-impact restriction. The master switch was on, Magneto 1 was off, and Magneto 2 was on. The pilot was in the left seat, secured by a four-point harness.
Aircraft Information
The Pulsar is a two-seat, low-wing amateur-built aircraft with a fixed tricycle undercarriage and sliding canopy. G-BULM was powered by a Rotax 582 UL liquid-cooled, twin-cylinder two-stroke engine driving a two-blade fixed-pitch propeller through a reduction gearbox. The engine had two BING carburetors and a diaphragm fuel pump. The ignition system was a 12V capacitor-discharge dual system with two magneto switches, a flywheel magneto generator, and two electronic units. The flywheel had 12 permanent magnets; eight coils provided electrical power, and four coils served dual ignition.
The last Certificate of Validity for the Permit to Fly was issued on 20 May 2006 and valid until 19 May 2007. The last flight test, recorded on 27 April 2006, noted a stall buffet speed of 35 kt and a minimum airspeed of 30 kt, with the left wing dropping at the stall. No documentation existed for a modification to install a baggage compartment, which deviated from the design drawing: the installed compartment was 2 inches higher and extended 4.5 inches further into the tail cone.
Engine Examination
The engine was stripped and tested under AAIB supervision. Clean oil was present in the reduction gearbox, and the magnetic plug was clean. Spark plugs were correct type, slightly worn with typical electrode coloration. Marks on the electric start housing indicated contact with the starter motor ring, most likely occurring during the crash, suggesting the engine was not rotating. No evidence of mechanical failure, seizure, or overheating was found.
Pilot Background and Maintenance History
The 56-year-old pilot held a National Private Pilot's Licence and had 1,266 total flying hours, with 194 hours on type. Friends reported he had been experiencing engine problems, possibly related to the stator coil, a large magneto drop, or an intermittent ignition issue during pre-takeoff checks. However, two pilots who flew with him two days before the accident stated they were unaware of any technical problems that day. A maintenance engineer reported that the pilot had asked him to check the stator coil for charging system issues weeks before the accident; the engineer found the resistance satisfactory. The pilot had obtained three stator coils over the previous four months. Log books and documents showed no evidence of engine difficulties before the flight. The most recent work, 27 hours prior, was new upholstery and painting. Electrical work 46 hours prior included replacement of the stator coil, rectifier, battery, and cleaning of the earth cable.
Conclusion
The investigation did not determine the cause of the power loss. The aircraft had insufficient performance to complete a return to the runway and stalled before a controlled landing could be made.