ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 188875
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| Date: | Friday 13 June 2003 |
| Time: | 20:48 |
| Type: |  Denney Kitfox 4-1200 (Classic IV) |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | G-BZIB |
| MSN: | PFA172-11898 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2002 |
| Engine model: | Rotax 582LC |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Gumley Road, Smeeton Westerby, Leicestershire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | Leicester Airport (EGBG) |
| Leicester Airport (EGBG) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Written off (damaged beyond repair) 13-06-2003 when force landed after engine stopped due to fuel starvation: aircraft came down at Gumley Road, Smeeton Westerby, Leicestershire. No injuries reported to the two person on board (pilot and one passenger). According to the follwoing excerpt from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"The aircraft was being flown on one of a series of test flights, which were required before it could be issued with a Permit to Fly. The aircraft had been airborne for 15 minutes and, having completed some handling tests, was returning to Leicester Airport at 1,500 feet QFE when the engine stopped. The commander selected what he considered to be the only suitable field for a forced landing, knowing that it contained a standing cereal crop. He did not attempt to restart the engine or transmit a radio call because he decided that his priority should be to fly the aircraft.
With the aircraft flying just above the level of the top of the cereal crop its speed reduced and it started to sink. As the main wheels contacted the crop, which the crew estimated stood two and a half feet tall, the aircraft pitched forward and came to rest inverted after travelling a further 30 to 40 feet. The pilots released themselves from their harnesses and exited the aircraft through the doors, which had already sprung open during the accident.
All three emergency services attended the scene but there was no fire and the occupants of the aircraft were uninjured. The commander had particular praise for the four-point shoulder and lap harnesses, which he believes had saved both him and his fellow pilot from injury.
Subsequent examination revealed that the engine failure was the result of fuel starvation caused by debris in the fuel pipe and fuel pump. The debris was identified as a rubber jointing compound, which had been used to connect rubber fuel pipes to metal hose nipples during construction. During a previous ground run this substance had been responsible for a blockage in the fuel system causing the engine to stop. The commander, who is also a PFA inspector, had advised the owners to remove the jointing compound from the fuel system following the ground run.
In hindsight he considers that the fuel system should have been replaced, but without the use of rubber jointing compound on the rubber to metal joints".
Nature of Damage to airframe: Per the AAIB report "Damage to propeller, fin, rudder, elevator and aft fuselage". The damage was presumably enough to render the airframe as "beyond economic repair" and, as a result, the registration G-BZIB was cancelled by the CAA, just over a year later, on 30-07-2004
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422ed6fe5274a1314000181/dft_avsafety_pdf_027740.pdf
2. CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/rk=BZIB
3. https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/factor200420.pdf
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Jul-2016 13:32 | Dr.John Smith | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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