What happened
On 10 July 2010, a Streak Shadow, registration G-BUGM, was conducting a private flight from Sibson Airfield to Northampton Airfield. While cruising at approximately 1,500 ft agl, roughly 10 nm north-east of the destination, the aircraft's Rotax 582 engine lost power over a five-second duration. Despite efforts to restart the engine, the failure persisted.
The pilot declared a MAYDAY and identified a suitable landing site at Wold Lodge Farm Strip. To mitigate the risk of carburettor icing, the pilot utilized cruise power for the descent. The landing at the strip, which is oriented east to west and bordered by 18-inch high crops, was notably abrupt. The impact caused the nosewheel to detach and resulted in substantial damage to the nosecone and fuselage, as well as the strobe light. There were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
The AAIB investigation was based on the accident report submitted by the pilot and subsequent enquiries. The investigation confirmed that the pilot had sufficient fuel and oil on board at the time of the incident. The investigation also noted that the weather conditions presented a moderate risk of carburettor icing when using descent power.
Findings
- The engine lost power over a period of five seconds.
- The pilot successfully executed a forced landing at a nearby farm strip.
- The cause of the engine failure remains unknown.