What happened
On 31 May 1999, a Renegade Spirit UK, registration G-MWWD, was participating in a private flight near Little Rissington, Gloucestershire. The pilot arrived over the Windrush Airstrip simultaneously with three other aircraft. After observing the other pilots complete successful landings, the commander initiated a descent and entered a left-hand circuit for Runway 04.
During the landing sequence, the aircraft encountered a grass surface. As the aircraft progressed along the runway at approximately 25 knots, the main wheels were abruptly halted by the vegetation. This sudden deceleration caused the aircraft to pitch forward onto its nose, ultimately coming to rest in an inverted position. The pilot, who was secured by a full shoulder harness, was able to exit the wreckage without any injuries.
The investigation
Investigators examined the condition of the airfield following the incident. The pilot noted that the grass at the landing site was between 30 and 45 cm in length. It was observed that unlike the other aircraft that had landed successfully just prior to the accident, G-MWWD was equipped with wheel spats.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the excessive length of the grass on the landing surface.
- The grass height exceeded the safety guidelines suggested in the CAA General Aviation Safety Sense leaflet 12B, which recommends that grass length should generally not exceed 30% of an aircraft's wheel diameter.
- The presence of wheel spats on the aircraft likely contributed to the sudden stoppage when encountering the tall vegetation.