Date:	Monday 29 May 2000
Time:	14:44
Type:	de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Museum of Army Flying
Registration:	G-AHMN
MSN:	82223
Year of manufacture:	1939
Engine model:	De Havilland Gipsy Major 1
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	Middle Wallop Airfield, near Andover, Hampshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Demo/Airshow/Display
Departure airport:	Middle Wallop, Hampshire (EGVP)
Destination airport:	Middle Wallop, Hampshire (EGVP)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 82223 (Gipsy Major #81119); Taken on charge as N6985 at RAF Andover Station Flight, Andover, Hampshire 20.7.39. To 39 MU RAF Colerne, Wiltshire 16.8.40. To 22 EFTS RAF Teversham, Cambridge 7.12.40. To 2 EFTS RAF Worcester 4.8.42. To RAF Teversham, Cambridge late 1942 (unconfirmed?). To 10 MU RAF Hullavington, Chippenham, Wiltshire 27.7.45 for long-term stroage pending disposal.

Struck off charge when sold 15.4.46 to Royal Aero Club, London. UK civil registered as G-AHMN (C of R 10186/1) 8.5.46 to Brooklands Aviation Ltd and operated by Northamptonshire Aero Club, Sywell. Northamptonshire. C of A 7962 issued 19.8.46. New C of R No.R1535 issued 1950. Registration cancelled 16.11.60 and re-registered (C or R R1535/2) 18.11.60 to James Edward Wanamaker & Frederick Seymour Cramer, RAF Chelveston, Northamptonshire.

Damaged when struck power cables and crashed on landing at Sywell, Northamptonshire 15.1.61; repaired and returned to service. Registration cancelled when sold 1.8.62 (although Air Ministry not notified until 4.1.63) and re-registered (C of R R1535/3) 11.3.63 to Shackleton Aviation Ltd, Piccadilly, London W1. Regsitration cancelled 2.7.63 and re-registered (C of R 1535/4) on 5.7.63 to Michael Frederick Harper Moss, Nottingham (aircraft based at Tollerton, Nottingham). Registration cancelled 2.10.66 and re-registered (C of R R1535/5) 6.10.66 when sold back to Shackleton Aviation Ltd, Piccadilly, london W1 (aircraft based at Sywell, Northamptonshire). Registration cancelled 21.3.67 and re-registered (C of R R1535/6) 25.4.67 to Scottish Gliding Union Ltd, Portmoak, Scotlandwell, Kinross.

Registration cancelled when sold 21.11.71. The CAA were not notified of the sale until 28.2.75, and the purchaser was never stated. (Possibly sold to Vendair (London) Ltd, Biggin Hill). Re-registered (C of R R1535/R7) on 25.4.72 to George Alan More-Nisbett, Edinburgh (later - from 29.6.72 - Bonnyrigg, Midlothian). Damaged when overturned on landing near Bonnyrigg, Midlothian 15.7.72; repaired and returned to service. Registration cancelled 16.10.75 and re-registered (C of R G-AHMN/R8) on 23.1.76 to George House (Holdings) Ltd [Alan Curtis], Compton Abbas, Dorset; painted in RAF colours as N6985. Fitted with Gipsy Major #90728 [in 1979].

Loaned 7.84 to Museum of Army Flying, Middle Wallop. Overturned on landing Anvilles airstrip, one mile south of Hungerford, Berkshire 3.8.85; according to the AAIB Report into the incident (see link #5):

"The aircraft was lasnding at a grass airstrip into a 15kt headwind. Shortly before touchdown, the rate of sink was such that the aircraft struck the boundary hedge of the airstrip, and nosed over onto its back. There was no fire".

Repaired and returned to service. Re-registered (C or R G-AHMN/R9) 1.8.89 to The Museum of Army Flying, Middle Wallop [but still on loan]. Badly damaged when crashed on take-off Middle Wallop 29.5.2000. According to the AAIB Report into the incident:

"Prior to the flight the pilot had prepared the aircraft and checked the weather, which was suitable for the local demonstration flight. He had noted the surface wind speed on the airfield anemometer repeater, which showed northerly 12 to 15 kt with moderate swings from the west. The passenger was dressed appropriately for the open cockpit environment, including a leather flying helmet, goggles and oxygen mask, which contained a microphone for the intercom. He was given a full safety briefing, which included how to undo the four point safety harness and exit the aircraft in the event of an emergency.

The pilot entered the aircraft first followed by the passenger who was assisted by a member of the ground crew into the front cockpit. He also checked the security of his harness and gave a short cockpit briefing on the controls and instruments. The propeller was hand swung by a member of the ground crew and the engine run for the required four minutes warm up period. During that time control and engine power checks were successfully completed against the chocks with the slats selected to the 'locked in' position.

The pilot confirmed over the intercom that the passenger was satisfied with the intended flight and proceeded to taxi from the hangar area initially along the level north western side of the airfield then down the grass slope towards the eastern side of the airfield. The aircraft was turned around on to a take-off heading of approximately 300°(M), pointing to the left of a large two storey building with flag poles adjacent to it which is located on the north west side of the airfield. Whilst the building was hidden by the rising ground ahead of the aircraft, the flags at the top of the poles were just visible.

To the left of the aircraft a windsock was visible which indicated a moderate wind slightly from the left. Whilst the pilot would have preferred a more westerly take-off run, this was not possible without encroaching an area to the left which had been allocated to parascending and was very active. The pilot commenced his take-off run maintaining into wind aileron and raising the tail with forward movement of the control stick. The aircraft landing gear absorbed the grass undulations and became airborne in a wings level climbing attitude. The pilot described the take-off run as slow but within a normal distance for the up-slope take-off direction. The exact Indicted Air Speed (IAS) was not noted but it remained low during the short climb above the rising slope. The pilot was looking along the left side of the aircraft due to the nose obscuring his view ahead. On cresting the slope, the wind was much stronger and more from the left causing the aircraft to drift to the right.

Despite altering the heading to the left the aircraft continued to drift to the right and towards the large building immediately ahead. On noticing this the pilot closed the throttle and tried to turn the aircraft to the right to avoid the building and to land on some open ground. The airspeed was now very low and the left wing dropped striking the ground with the lower left wing tip followed immediately by the upper left wing tip. The aircraft collided with a small bush and yawed around to the left coming to rest with the fuselage on its left side with the wings wrapped over it along the left side.

There was no fire but a strong smell of fuel. The passenger, who was uninjured, was able to undo his harness and with some difficulty exit the forward cockpit to the rear along the left side of the fuselage. He was able to undo the pilot's harness but was not able to release him. The airfield Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (RFFS) had seen the aircraft pass their station and, realising that it was in difficulties, activated the crash alarm. They were on the scene almost immediately and released the pilot and applied a foam blanket to the wreckage. The pilot had remained conscious but had struck his head on the leather pad above the instrument panel and suffered a cut to the bridge of his nose caused by his goggles".

Registration G-AHMN cancelled by the CAA on 14.9.2000; For sale “as is” [11.2000]. Delivered (by road) 26.11.2000 to Winters Aviation [Peter Winters], Antwerp, Belgium for rebuild. Re-registered (C of R G-AHMN/R10) 19.3.18 to Andrew David Barton, St Columb, Cornwall; on active rebuild. Currently registered.

1. AAIB Bulletin No: 8/2000 Ref: EW/G2000/05/20 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5423036ded915d1374000b95/dft_avsafety_pdf_500205.pdf
2. CAA - History of G-AHMN 1946-60: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AHMN-1.pdf
3. CAA - History of G-AHMN 1960-67: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AHMN-2.pdf
4. CAA - History of G-AHMN 1967-76: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AHMN-3.pdf
5. AAIB Ref Accident 3.8.85: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f087e5274a13140002fd/DH82A_Tiger_Moth_G-AHMN_09-85.pdf
6. http://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/hancrash.html
7. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p822.html
9. https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/G-AHMN/936748
10. https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=106703
11. Photo of wreckage at Middle Wallop, Hampshire (EGVP) 13.10.2000: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1550361
12. Tiger Moth G-AHMN various photos 2081955 to 2000: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/registration/G-AHMN?f=&sort=date_taken_formatted&order=asc
13. Tiger Moth G-AHMN at Tollerton, Norrtinghamshire 1964: https://www.airphotographicinternational.com/products/g-ahmn-de-havilland-dh82a-tiger-mothtollerton-1964
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAC_Middle_Wallop

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Jan-2008 05:23	JINX	Added
29-Sep-2012 18:40	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative]
09-Feb-2015 17:34	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code]
08-Jul-2016 13:45	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative]
27-Jan-2022 14:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, Category]
27-Jan-2022 14:33	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
27-Jan-2022 14:34	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
27-Jan-2022 14:40	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
27-Jan-2022 14:42	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]