ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 302515
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Saturday 23 July 2022 |
| Time: | 12:00 |
| Type: |  Luscombe 8E |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | G-BSYF |
| MSN: | 3455 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1946 |
| Engine model: | Continental C85-12 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Near East Winch, Kings Lynn, Norfolk -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Coldharbour Farm Airfield, Cambridgeshire |
| Fenland Airport (EGCL) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
AAIB investigation to Luscombe 8E, G-BSYF: Control lost during an attempted takeoff, Farmers field near East Winch, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, 23 July 2022. The AAIB Final Report was published on 8 December 2022, and the following is an excerpt from the report...
"The pilot was flying between Coldharbour Farm Airfield, Cambridgeshire to Fenland Airfield, Lincolnshire, via Hunstanton. When approaching south of Kings Lynn, the engine began to run roughly. Although the pilot applied carburettor heat, this made no perceptible difference.
With the engine at full throttle, and the aircraft descending through 1,000 ft agl, the pilot decided to make a precautionary landing. Having chosen the only field without a tall crop, the pilot made a successful landing with no damage to the aircraft.
Having checked under the cowls, and with the propeller turning with normal compression, the pilot decided to try and start the engine. The engine started immediately and ran smoothly and without issue. Having cleaned the fuel filter and run fuel through the gascolater, the pilot concluded that carburettor icing had been the cause of the power loss.
Having examined the field, the pilot decided that he could fly the aircraft out to avoid the risk of damage from dismantling the aircraft for transport. The crop was low growing sugar beet and the end of the field had only a sparse covering of growth. There were hard soil tracks along the field made by the wheels of the farm machinery which the pilot felt he could use for the main wheels of G-BSYF to run along. Having removed the spats, the plane was pulled back so it had around 600 m of these tracks in front of it and, after several full power checks, the pilot started his takeoff run. Although the tail lifted as the speed increased, the aircraft did not reach sufficient speed to lift the main wheels off due to the surface conditions and the slight crosswind.
The pilot closed the throttle and began to brake. Once the tail settled back onto the ground, it was difficult for the pilot to see exactly where he was going. The aircraft is also fitted with heel brakes that can be challenging to apply evenly, especially at higher speeds. The pilot felt that he had probably applied slightly more left brake, which caused the aircraft to veer to the left and leave the narrow tracks. The left wheel then caught the crops, dragging the aircraft further left. The combination of braking and the resistance of the crops on the main wheels caused the tail of the aircraft to lift, and the nose struck the ground. The aircraft came to rest inverted.
The pilot was able to release his seat belt and kick the door open to escape the aircraft. He was not injured in the accident. The aircraft suffered extensive damage to the lower cowl, engine firewall, windscreen, and
tail and wing surfaces, and the engine was shock loaded.
=Nature of Damage to Airframe=
Extensive damage to the airframe and shock loading to the engine"
This aeroplane was built at the Luscombe factory in Dallas, Texas, in 1946 as a Model 8A with serial number 3455 and a Continental C65 engine and made its initial flight on 27th of August of that year. It was registered NC72028 and sold to an owner in West Virginia. Various owners in Michigan (including one Richard J Gere) and Tennessee followed and the aircraft was eventually sold by an owner in Florida for import into the UK in non-flying condition in 1990, having flown a total of 2,200 hours since manufacture.
An extensive restoration followed, during which the aircraft was modified, fitted with a Continental C85 engine and the fuselage fuel tank replaced by wing tanks. In this form it flew again on 7th July 2002, some 19 years after its previously recorded flight, and 56 years after its maiden flight in Texas.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6376202f8fa8f57717178910/Luscombe_8E_G-BSYF_12-22.pdf
2. https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/g-bsyf p.9
3. https://luscombecla.com/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2016_March_April_11.pdf
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Winch
Media:
G-BSYF: Luscombe 8-A at the LAA Rally, Sywell, Northamptonshire,04/09/21
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation