Date:	Tuesday 15 February 2005
Time:	13:30 UTC
Type:	de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	David Ian Malcolm Geddes & Francis Russell Curry
Registration:	G-ALIW
MSN:	82901
Year of manufacture:	1938
Engine model:	De Havilland Gipsy Major I
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Littlebredy Farm, Littlebredy, Dorchester, Dorset -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Littlebredy Farm, Littlebredy, Dorchester, Dorset
Destination airport:	Littlebredy Farm, Littlebredy, Dorchester, Dorset
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 82901 (Gipsy Major #82780); Built by DH Hatfiled as R5006 but shipped direct to New Zealand 1.3.40 on the s.s 'Rangitata'. Taken on charge by RNZAF as NZ899 at Rongotai 2.8.40. To 3 EFTS Harewood [1942]. To 2 EFTS Ashburton [1944]. To Taieri [1945]

Struck off charge when sold 4.5.49 [as free issue] to Wairarapa Aero Club. NZ civil Registered as ZK-ATI 20.6.49 to Wairarapa & Ruahine Aero Club. Re-registered 23.2.50 to N.B. Black, Masterton. Re-registered 11.4.50 to Air Contracts Ltd, Masterton; fleet no.8. C of A issued 28.7.50. Damaged when struck felled tree on landing Alfredton 31.10.50; repaired and returned to service. Crashed following engine failure while topdressing at Hastwell, near Eketahuna, Wairarapa 3.5.56; Pilot - B.R.A. McKay.

Re-registered 19.7.56 to W Bower & Co Ltd, Palmerston North. Rebuilt 1957-58; Re-registered 20.6.58 to Aviation Sales & Service Ltd, Palmerston North. Re-registered 2.7.58 to B.R.A McKay, Eketahuna. Re-registered 11.3.59 to A.D Kane & A.K. & D.G.Wood; operated by Masterton Gliding Club, Masterton as a glider tug. Badly damaged in forced landing out of fuel at Masterton 31.7.60.

Re-registered 5.11.61 to Wellington & Wairarapa Gliding Club. Re-registered to Wellington Aero Club, Rongotai. Re-registered 21.6.67 to R.Ellwood, Trentham. Re-registered 7.12.67 to P.C. Shand, Christchurch. Damaged Landsborough Valley 13.2.68. Re-registered 19.8.68 to B.L. Drake & J.L. Muir, Cromwell. Re-registered 7.5.70 to B.L. & M.N. Drake, Christchurch. Re-registered 14.1.71 to K.L. Simich, Auckland.

Re-registered 26.3.74 to A.R. Fahey & J.H. Sager, Auckland. Re-registered 3.12.75 to A.R. Fahey, Bombay, South Auckland. Sold as parts 16.3.76 to Wally Buch, San Mateo, California. NZ Registration ZK-ATI cancelled 9.4.76 as sold to USA. Bill of Sale dated 20.5.76 and re-registered as N27WB 26.5.76 to Walter K Buch, Cupertino, California. C of A issued 3.6.76. Sold 29.7.81 to David Geddes/Francis Kelly, UK. US Registration N27WB cancelled 12.8.81 as 'Exported to United Kingdom'.

Registered in UK as G-ALIW 17.8.81 to David Ian Malcolm Geddes & Francis Russell (Frank) Curry, Twickenham/Twyford (based Booker, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire; later White Waltham, Maidenhead, Berkshire); delivered to Walkeridge Farm 4.9.81. C of A issued 15.1.82. Note that G-ALIW was an "in-period" registration for February 1949 (the previous and next registrations - G-ALIV and G-ALIX - were allocated 28.2.49), which was originally marked "NOT TO BE ALLOTED" in 1949, and this was only rescinded in 1981

Moved to Littlebredy, Dorchester strip (2001). Damaged when undercarriage collapsed on landing at Littlebredy Farm, Littlebredy, Dorchester, Dorset 15.2.2005. According to the AAIB Report into the incident:

"The purpose of the flight was for an instructor to revalidate the pilot's Private Pilot's Licence. The intention was to practice circuits followed by upper air work and a short cross-country with a practice forced-landing. After the instructor had demonstrated a 'three-point' landing, the pilot performed a 'wheeler' landing, intending to allow the tail to settle before applying power to go around. However, before the tailskid touched, the right undercarriage collapsed and the aircraft tipped onto its nose and right wingtip before settling back in an upright attitude.

The instructor reported that the touchdown was normal and states that the damage was relatively light due to the low ground speed at the time of the collapse. Both pilots evacuated the aircraft normally.

The instructor, who is a retired metallurgist, found that the right undercarriage drag strut had detached from the fitting securing it to the fuselage due to failure of the swivel bolt, part number H.22186.On a brief visual examination, he diagnosed that the fracture involved a fatigue crack. One half of the fracture was sent to the AAIB for examination: this concurred with his diagnosis with the additional observation that it appeared to be low-cycle fatigue occurring over a relatively short period and that the bolt passing through the strut fork fitting and the swivel bolt appeared to have been excessively tightened at some point.

The history of the failed item is unknown but a report was found, dated 1960, in which a De Havilland investigation identified an almost identical failure. The report did not recommend any action as "this is the first recorded defect of this particular nature".

The maintainer of the aircraft has advised that he intends to inspect the swivel bolts during annual inspection of Tiger Moth aircraft in future and it would seem prudent for other maintainers to do likewise. The age and history of these components is scarcely ever recorded and loads experienced can vary great with runway conditions and also the effectiveness of lubrication, since the bolt must be free to articulate in the fitting as the undercarriage struts 'spread' under load.

Damage to propeller, underside of lower wing and detached undercarriage strut on right side".

Littlebredy is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, situated approximately 6.5 miles west of the county town Dorchester. It is sited at the head of the valley of the small River Bride, surrounded by wooded chalk hills of the Dorset Downs

Re-registered 4.1.2006 to Francis Russell Curry, St Helier, Jersey (aircraft based at White Waltham, Maidenhead, Berkshire; later Sywell, Northamptonshire). C of A replaced by Permit to Fly 15.1.2014.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft R1000-R9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1980)
2. http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewEntity.do?code=7333
3. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p829.html
5. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ALIW.pdf
5. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nzdh82.htm
6. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=27WB
7. http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/picture.php?/Tiger_Moth_NZ899_Photo_Terry_Fletcher/category/nz-tiger-moth
8. http://www.flydw.org.uk/DWZKARZ.htm
9. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac2/NZZZ/ZK-ATI.html
10. https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/de-havilland-tiger-moth-dh-82a-nz-851-to-nz900-1939-to-1956-part-4
11. AAIB Bulletin No: 7/2005 Ref: EW/G2005/02/04: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f5daed915d13710005b3/G-ALIW_07-05.pdf
12. http://dorset.hampshireairfields.co.uk/dorcrash.html
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littlebredy
14. https://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Littlebredy-flying-sites

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

3 May 1956

ZK-ATI

Air Contracts Ltd

0

Hastwell, Wairarapa

sub

Tiger Moth G-ALIW at Sywell, Northamptonshire 31.8.2013: DH82A Tiger Moth G-ALIW over Whitwell Wood, Just after taking off from Hodthorpe airfield - October 2008

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Jan-2008 23:23	JINX	Added
21-Aug-2008 13:33	JINX	Updated
03-Dec-2014 22:05	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
03-Dec-2014 22:08	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
09-Aug-2016 20:24	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Source]
08-Jan-2022 20:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Embed code]
01-Feb-2022 18:42	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category]
01-Feb-2022 18:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]