Accident Overview
On 22 July 2008, at 1347 UTC, a Robin DR400/160 Chevalier (registration G-BKVL) sustained damage during taxi at Ledbury Airfield, Gloucestershire. The sole occupant, the pilot, was not injured. The aircraft, built in 1983 with a Lycoming O-320-D2A engine, was being taxied for a private flight.
Taxi and Sequence of Events
The pilot was taxiing the aircraft along the grass runway towards the departure end of Runway 07. He positioned the aircraft to the right of the runway centreline to allow room for a left turn at the end. During the taxi, a sudden wind gust or a bump in the runway surface caused the aircraft to veer to the left. The pilot reacted instinctively by applying right rudder pedal and pressure to the toe brakes. However, this aircraft was equipped with a hand brake, not toe brakes; thus no braking occurred. The right pedal correction proved excessive, causing the aircraft to veer 30° to the right. Before the pilot could correct the yaw and apply the hand brake, the right wing leading edge struck a barbed wire fence at the runway edge. The wire cut through the wing leading edge, preventing a left turn. The propeller then struck the barbed wire, stopping the engine. The pilot performed shutdown checks and vacated the aircraft.
Damage
The accident caused damage to the engine cowling, propeller, and right wing leading edge.
Pilot's Assessment
The pilot reported that the primary cause was his unfamiliarity with the braking system on the DR400, having long experience flying Piper Cherokee-series aircraft equipped with toe brakes. He considered that his over-correction on the rudder pedals and his decision to taxi to the right of the runway centreline contributed to the accident.