Date:	Friday 18 August 1978
Time:	day
Type:	Beagle B.121 Pup 100
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	G-AZCJ
MSN:	B121-152
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Rydinghurst Farm (Cranleigh) Airstrip, Cranleigh, Surrey -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Rydinghurst Farm (Cranleigh) Airstrip, Cranleigh, Surrey
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
On the evening of 18 August 1978 Beagle Pup G-AZCJ attempted to take-off from a short (about 1450 feet long) private air strip near Cranleigh. Because the take-off run was marginal for his aeroplane, the pilot started from the most extreme point of the strip. He applied full power, released the brakes and accelerated away. However about 1100 feet along the strip the Pup was showing no inclination to leave the ground and thus the pilot aborted his take-off. He closed the throttle, applied the brakes and switched off the ignition. Despite this, it became evident to him that he was not going to be able to stop within the confines of the strip. He turned the Pup to starboard but too late. His port wing struck the hedge, at the other extreme of the strip, which swung the Pup into a ditch. This resulted in damage to both wings, the starboard tail plane and the nose wheel and leg. The pilot, who was alone in the Pup, was uninjured.

Essentially the cause of this accident was that the pilot was attempting to take-off from a strip which probably was too short - or, at least, marginal - for his aeroplane. The strip was only about 1450 feet long whereas the manufacturer's flight manual specified a minimum take off distance, under the conditions prevailing on that strip and day, of 583 metres (about 1900 feet) with a minimum take-off run of about 1150 feet. Put simply, the Pup really shouldn't have been on that air strip on that day!

Rydinghurst Farm (Cranleigh) Airstrip, Pepperbox Lane, Cranleigh, Surrey is just East of the A281, about 2 nautical miles West to West-North West of Cranleigh town centre, 6.5 nautical miles South-South East of Guildford, Surrey: at 51'8.8" N 000'31.6" W and 150 feet amsl. The airstrip has been in use since 1973 (see links #8 & #9)

Registration G-AZCJ formally cancelled by the CAA aircraft "destroyed 30.11.1978"

1. CAA: History of G-AZCJ 1971-1977: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AZCJ-1.pdf
2. CAA: History of G-AZCJ 1977-1978: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AZCJ-2.pdf
3. G-AZCJ at Biggin Hill (EGKB) 14/5/1977: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000321220.html
4. Multiple photos of G-AZCJ from production line to scrapping: https://www.flickr.com/photos/188778215@N02/sets/72157714960008312
5. http://www.beaglepupandbulldogclub.com/gallery-5-pup-archive.html
6. G-AZCJ wreckage at Biggin Hill 16-5-1981: https://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Beagle-B-121-Pup-100/204232/L
7. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=17317.0
8. http://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Rydinghurst-Farm
9. https://www.pprune.org/private-flying/68075-rydinghurst-farm.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Nov-2020 22:40	Dr. John Smith	Added