What happened
On 6 July 2010, a Vans RV-9, registration G-CFED, was conducting a private local flight near White Fen Farm in Cambridgeshire. The weather conditions at the time of the incident were clear, with a light 5-knot breeze originating from the south-west.
As the pilot was decelerating to a safe taxi speed following a landing on Runway 18, the pilot observed the left wingtip making contact with the adjacent crops. During the landing rollout, the aircraft experienced an abrupt yaw to the left. This movement caused the right main gear wheels to sink into a furrow in the ground, which subsequently forced the aircraft to nose over. The impact resulted in significant structural damage to the engine mounting frame, the right wheel, the right main gear leg and fairing, and the right wing.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The examiner noted that the pilot had recently returned to flying after a one-month hiatus, having completed only one hour of flight time in the preceding 28 days. The pilot was uninjured during the event.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the pilot's lack of attention to the aircraft's position relative to the runway centerline during the landing rollout.
- The aircraft's left wingtip had already begun brushing the crops prior to the sudden yaw.
- The descent of the right main gear wheels into a furrow in the terrain triggered the nose-over sequence.