What happened
On 25 August 2010, a Scintex CP1310-C3 Super Emeraude, registration G-BJCF, was involved in a landing accident at Little Snoring Aerodrome in Norfolk. The aircraft was being operated on a private flight for the purpose of completing tailwheel differences training. The pilot had recently completed several solo flights on the type that same day.
After taking off and completing one circuit, the pilot backtracked to fly a short flight toward the north of the airfield. Upon returning to the airfield, the pilot performed an uneventful approach and touchdown. However, during the landing rollout, the aircraft drifted toward the left side of the grass runway. In an attempt to maintain the centerline, the pilot applied right rudder, which caused the aircraft to veer sharply to the right. Subsequent application of left rudder caused the aircraft to veer sharply to the left again, leading to a departure from the runway.
During this loss of control, the aircraft's left undercarriage struck the raised edge of a concrete track situated beside the runway. The impact caused the left landing gear leg to bend and resulted in damage to the propeller tip and the pitot head.
The investigation
Investigators examined the sequence of rudder inputs used by the pilot to regain control. The investigation established that the pilot had previously experienced a similar departure from the runway during the same training session. The pilot noted that the sudden swerving was likely the result of overcorrecting with rudder inputs while attempting to maintain directional control on the grass surface.