Date:	Thursday 24 May 2012
Time:	13:45 LT
Type:	de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Stephen William Turley
Registration:	G-AOHY
MSN:	3850
Year of manufacture:	1939
Engine model:	De Havilland Gipsy Major MK 10-1
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Wickenby Airfield, Langworth, 8nm NE of Lincoln, Lincolnshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Wickenby Airfield (EGNW)
Destination airport:	Wickenby Airfield (EGNW)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 3850 (Gipsy Major #80785); Taken on charge as N6537 at 5 MU RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire 23.1.39. To 35 E&RFTS RAF Grangemouth 29.4.39. To 11 EFTS RAF Perth/Scone, Perthshire 15.10.39. To 11 RFS RAF Perth/Scone, Perthshire 26.6.47 coded “RCR-K”. To RAF Ringway Station Flight 8.4.51. To Home Command Major Servicing Unit, RAF Leconfield, East Yorkshire 12.2.53. To RAF Dyce Station Flight, Aberdeen 19.5.53. To 9 MU RAF Cosford, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire 8.4.54 for long-term storage pending disposal.

Struck off charge as Cat.5(c) when sold as parts 13.10.54 to W A Rollason Ltd, Croydon. UK civil registered as G-AOHY (C of R R5288/1) 23.2.56 to WA Rollason Ltd, Croydon. C of A issued 22.3.56. Registration cancelled 23.3.56 and re-registered (C of R R5288/2) 4.4.56 to Midland Aero Club Ltd, Elmdon, Birmingham. C of A lapsed 20.8.60 (possibly as a result of accident 23.8.59, when it was reported that an unidentified Tiger Moth hit a fence at Elmdon) and stored Baginton. To Devonair Ltd/Light Aircraft Servicing Ltd, Baginton 1962 and still in store 8.63 on top of building between hangars. Registration G-AOHY cancelled 1.3.64 as PWFU (Permanently Withdrawn From Use).

Found in storage at Lands End, Cornwall in 1989. Registration restored 27.12.89 (C of R G-AOHY/R3) to Clive Richard Hardiman, Shobdon, Leominster, Herefordshire. Re-registered (C of R G-AOHY/R4) on 13.10.92 to Clive Richard Hardiman & Stephanie Anne Hardiman, t/a Shobdon Aircraft Maintenance, Shobdon, Leominster, Herefordshire. Re-registered (C of R G-AOHY/R5) 8.3.96 to Michael Somerton-Rayner, trustee Historic Aircraft Flight Reserve Collection, Middle Wallop, Hampshire; for rebuild. On static display at Middle Wallop [by 9.2000]. Registration G-AOHY cancelled 5.3.2001 as temporarily Withdrawn From Use.

Sold [early 2004] to new owner, at Spanhoe Lodge, Corby, Northamptonshire; not re-registered. Re-registered (C of R G-AOHY/R6) on 14.7.2004 to Ronald Henry “Gerry” Cooper & Samantha Jane Cooper, Stow, Linolnshires; delivered by road 23.6.2004 for rebuild (aircraft to be based at Wickenby, Lincolnshire). C of A renewed 30.10.2008. Re-registered (C of R G-AOHY/R7) 15.1.2009 to Ronald Henry Cooper & Jennifer Ann Cooper, Wickenby, Lincolnshire; painted in trainer yellow colours as N6537. Re-registered (C of R G-AOHY/R8) 15.6.2010 to Stephen William Turley, Dunholme, Lincoln (aircraft remained based at Wickenby). SAubstantailly dsamaged when overturned on landing short of the runway at Wickenby, Lincolnshire 24.5.12. According to contemporary reports:

"A VINTAGE Tiger Moth was damaged when it landed short of the runway at Wickenby Airfield on Thursday 24 May 2012 and overturned. Two pilots were on board but neither of them was injured. The plane was left with damage to its wings but is being repaired. According to the official AAIB summary of the accident:

"During the pilot’s pre-flight preparation, he was somewhat distracted by the discovery that the aircraft’s compass ring was missing, which left the aircraft without a useable compass. During takeoff, the pilot’s attention was entirely outside the cockpit and he did not realise that the needle of the airspeed indicator had detached and was lying loose inside the instrument, leaving only the needle stub with which to estimate airspeed.

With no other nearby airfields suitable for a grass landing, the pilot prepared for an approach to the grass area at Wickenby. The approach was made at an estimated 54 knots, the pilot being aware that he could not afford to be too fast with only a restricted landing area and in an aircraft without wheel brakes. The aircraft became low on the approach in the latter stages and, despite the pilot applying full power, the landing gear struck standing crops at the edge of a field immediately before the landing area.

The aircraft pitched nose-down and came to rest inverted, just clear of the crops. The propeller was destroyed and damage was sustained to the wings and tail section. There was no damage to the open cockpit area and the two occupants were able to escape the aircraft. The airfield fire and rescue crew responded immediately, joined later by the civil emergency services.

Although very experienced, the pilot observed that he had limited experienced on the Tiger Moth. He had originally flown it in 1964 and had only a brief conversion back to type in 2010. Since that time he had flown only 12 hours on type at irregular intervals, and had carried out only one landing on type in the eight months prior to the accident. The pilot considered that his lack of currency on type and limited recent training were contributory factors in the accident."

Nature of Damage sustained to airframe: Per the AAIB report "Damage to propeller, wings and tail section, engine shock-loaded".

Re-registered (C of R G-AOHY/R9) 21.6.2019 to Stephen William Turley, Dunholme, Lincoln & Gerald Cooper, Market Rasen (based Wickenby pending rebuild). Currently registered

1. AAIB Bulletin: 9/2012 G-AOHY EW/G2012/05/15: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f7d540f0b61342000613/DH82A_Tiger_Moth_G-AOHY_09-12.pdf
2. CAA History of G-AOHY 1956-64: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AOHY.pdf
3. http://www.marketrasenmail.co.uk/news/local/plane-damaged-in-short-landing-1-3894640
4. https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/plane-crashed-wickenby-airfield-faulty-compass/story-16943490-detail/story.html
5. http://www.airport-data.com/forums/ptopic6688.html
6. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p038.html
8. https://www.planespotters.net/photo/114033/g-aohy-private-de-havilland-dh82a-tiger-moth
9. https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=114732
10. Tiger Moth G-AOHY at Elmdon, Birmingham in 1958: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000963438.html
11. Tiger Moth G-AOHY at Wickenby, Lincolnshire 23.1.2016: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/001173592.html
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wickenby_Aerodrome

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

17 July 2016

G-AOHY

Private

0

Wickenby Airfield, Langworth, 8nm NE of Lincoln, Lincolnshire

sub

RAF Waddington International Air Show, Lincolnshire, UK - 4th July 2009

RAF Waddington (EGXW), Lincolnshire, UK. - 4th July 2009

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
29-May-2012 12:41	gerard57	Added
01-Jun-2012 16:58	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Narrative]
08-Sep-2012 16:02	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
21-Sep-2012 19:40	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
14-Sep-2015 03:26	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
29-Dec-2016 13:21	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
27-Jul-2020 19:23	Peter Clarke	Updated [Photo]
01-Aug-2020 07:19	Peter Clarke	Updated [Photo]
09-Feb-2022 18:25	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative, Category]