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Old Warden Aerodrome, near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire -
United Kingdom
Phase:
Landing
Nature:
Private
Departure airport:
Old Warden Aerodrome, near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire(EGTH)
Destination airport:
Old Warden Aerodrome, near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire (EGTH)
Investigating agency:
AAIB
Confidence Rating:
Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative: A light aircraft crash landed on the Shuttleworth estate. Emergency services were dispatched to the Old Warden Aerodrome at around 11.20 am, after receiving reports of a downed aircraft. The aircraft was carrying a pilot and a single passenger– one of which suffered minor injuries in the crash. An eyewitness said that they saw the aircraft clip treetops before it came down. The impact of the crash completely obliterated the right wing of the aircraft. The incident is now being probed by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
A Beds Fire and Rescue spokesperson told us: “We were called at 11.25am yesterday morning about a light aircraft that had crashed at Old Warden Aerodrome and sent fire engines from Biggleswade, Sandy and Kempston as well as the Special Rescue Unit from Kempston. When the first appliance arrived at 11.40 they found that there was no fire situation and no persons trapped. The aircraft’s fuel and battery had already been isolated by airfield personnel and the pilot had walked away from the aircraft. We closed the incident six minutes later at 11.46am because we were not required to take any action.”
A Beds Police spokesperson added: “A plane on a leisure flight carrying a pilot and one passenger had to perform an emergency landing in the aerodrome grounds. It is believed one person has suffered minor injuries. Police attended supporting other emergency service partners to ensure the scene is safe.”
UPDATE; The official AAIB report into the accident was published on 9-6-2016, and the summary reads as follows:
"The pilot intended to complete three circuits before flying in the local area. The first circuit was uneventful but the second landing was fast and heavy and the aircraft bounced twice. The pilot decided to go around but reported that the aircraft would not turn left in response to his control column inputs. He was able to turn right and climbed to avoid trees that were in his path; the standard pattern for Runway 21 is a left circuit.
With speed decreasing and limited roll control the pilot decided to land in a field that was perpendicular to the runway. The right wheel clipped a wall on the approach, spinning the aircraft through 180 degrees. The aircraft was extensively damaged but the pilot and his passenger were able to exit through the doors.
The cause of the control difficulties was not established. The pilot reported that the aircraft had been cut during recovery and was in the process of disposal, thereby precluding the possibility of detailed inspection. He reported that the aircraft had flown normally prior to the heavy landing. Neither the BMAA nor the UK importer were aware of any previous similar occurrences".
Damage sustained to the airframe: Per the AAIB report "Damage to right wing, landing gear, engine and propeller". the damage was presumably enough to render the airframe as "damaged beyond economic repair", as the registrration G-CCDW was cancelled by the CAA on 14-4-2016 as "destroyed"