What happened
On 10 June 2013, a pilot operating a Replica Fokker DR1, registration G-FOKK, was conducting a private flight at Podington Airstrip in Northamptonshire. Prior to this flight, the pilot had landed a different aircraft at the same location and observed smoke from a nearby bonfire rising vertically, suggesting nearly calm wind conditions.
During the flight in G-FOKK, the pilot performed a low pass over the airstrip to assess the ground and weather. Following a standard left-hand circuit, the aircraft approached Runway 26. The approach and touchdown were initially uneventful, with the tail lowering gently to the ground and the throttle closed. However, shortly after landing, the aircraft entered a left-hand turn that the pilot could not counteract using the right rudder. This maneuver led to a collision with a steel gate located on the perimeter track. The impact caused the aircraft to pitch forward onto its nose and upper wing, resulting in damage to the wing, fuselage, cowling, and propeller. The pilot escaped the incident without any injuries.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the environmental conditions and the aircraft's behavior during the landing roll. The pilot noted that while the earlier observation of bonfire smoke suggested no wind, his later estimate for the time of the accident was a south-west wind of between 5 and 10 knots.