What happened
On 1 March 2011, a Spitfire Mk 26 (scale replica), registration G-CCGH, was conducting a private local flight originating from Hawarden Airfield. During the flight, the pilot encountered significant difficulties with the aircraft's VHF radio, experiencing poor reception and intermittent communication with Valley Radar. Due to these technical issues, the pilot opted not to contact Liverpool Approach and instead returned to Hawarden.
While attempting to rejoin the traffic pattern, the pilot noted that radio communications remained unreliable. After switching to the Hawarden Tower frequency, the pilot received clearance to land on Runway 02. During the landing sequence, the aircraft made a heavy touchdown on the left main landing gear leg with the tailwheel in the down position. This impact caused the aircraft to rock violently onto the right gear leg and subsequently tip forward onto its nose. The aircraft came to a stop within a short distance. There were no injuries to the pilot, though the aircraft sustained damage to the propeller and the left landing gear leg.
The investigation
The investigation established that the pilot was heavily distracted by the ongoing VHF radio malfunctions during the approach. The pilot later identified the root cause of the radio issue as a poor connection in a coaxial cable. It was also determined that engine vibrations likely worsened the communication degradation during the flight.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was a poorly executed landing approach.
- The pilot failed to apply sufficient aft stick input during touchdown.
- The pilot's attention was diverted by persistent VHF radio communication difficulties.
- The radio malfunction was caused by a faulty coaxial cable connection.