ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 185580
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| Date: | Sunday 20 March 2016 |
| Time: | 16:00 UTC |
| Type: |  Comco Ikarus C42 FB100 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | G-CDNR |
| MSN: | 0507-6696 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2005 |
| Engine model: | Rotax 912 ULS |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Stoke Medway Airfield, Burrows Lane, Middle Stoke, Isle of Grain, Kent -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Stoke Medway Airfield, Isle of Grain, Kent |
| Stoke Medway Airfield, Isle of Grain, Kent | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
An ultralight aircraft hit an electricity pylon and crashed into a field at Stoke Medway Airfield, Burrows Lane, Middle Stoke, Isle of Grain, near Rochester in Kent. The pilot was pronounced dead at the scene. Fire crews had to use foam to extinguish the flames. The official report into the accident was published by the AAIB on 11-5-2017, and the following is an excerpt from that report...
"The pilot had qualified as a weight shift microlight pilot in August 2013 and decided to convert to three-axis microlights in 2015. His first solo flight in a three-axis aircraft was in the Ikarus on 12 February 2015, after 13.75 hours of training. He had made an appointment to take up three-axis flying again on 20 March 2016.
The instructor arrived at the airfield at approximately 1000 hours and checked the weather. The forecast was for a 1,400 ft cloud base with a light wind down Runway 06, which was suitable for training and solo flights. He moved the aircraft out of the hangar, carried out the daily inspection and then washed it.
The pilot arrived at about 1130 hrs and discussed with the instructor the plan for the day, which was to make a number of 30-minute flights to continue his three-axis training. They conducted two training flights in the morning, covering takeoffs, climbing, emergencies in the circuit and use of flaps. As expected, after a year since his last three-axis flight, the pilot was a “little rusty” on the first couple of landings.
Following a demonstration by the instructor and some further practice, the pilot improved measurably to a competent solo standard. Following a debrief in the cockpit, the instructor took the pilot into the training room and gave him a presentation on the use and effects of different flap settings. He also talked about the importance of aircraft attitude during a go-around.
They carried out a third dual flight during which the instructor simulated an engine failure after takeoff, followed by a simulated engine failure downwind, from which the pilot landed. He flew competently on his second circuit and seemed calm and ready to go solo. The engine was shut down and the instructor briefed the pilot to fly out to the Isle of Sheppey, an area that he was familiar with, and practice some climbing and descending turns. The pilot seemed happy to be flying solo again and, after restarting the engine, taxied back to the threshold of Runway 06.
The instructor observed the takeoff. He heard the pilot apply full power and saw the aircraft become airborne. It climbed very quickly and reached a very high nose-up attitude, which the instructor described as the aircraft “hanging on its prop”.
The aircraft drifted left over the railway line that runs alongside the runway before dropping the left wing, descending and striking a set of high tension power cables. There was a bright flash and the aircraft fell to the ground. The instructor and club members ran to the accident site and attempted to extinguish the post-crash fire with hand held fire extinguishers. The pilot had sustained fatal injuries."
Registration G-CDNR cancelled by the CAA on 8-4-2016 as "destroyed"
_________________________________________________
AAIB Conclusion:
The pilot had demonstrated that he was competent to fly the aircraft before undertaking the solo flight and yet the aircraft was seen to climb very steeply before control was lost.
The extreme angle of climb and wing drop were not reproduced in the ‘Open Loop’ (hands‑off) takeoffs during flight testing and this suggests that either the accident pilot had made a deliberate and sustained aft side stick control input, or a failure of the aircraft occurred, resulting in the steep climb and a reduction in airspeed. The continued reduction in airspeed led to a stall, left wing drop and departure from controlled flight, with insufficient height to recover before striking the cables.
There was insufficient evidence available to determine which possibility was more likely
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/58ef8f4bed915d06ac0001ac/Ikarus_C42_FB100_G-CDNR_05-17.pdf
2. CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/
3. http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/microlight-plane-crashes-into-field-93000/
4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-35856354
5. http://www.kent.fire-uk.org/news/incidents/?entryid2=7962
6. http://airfieldcards.com/index.php/menusierra/stoke
7. https://ukga.com/airfield/stoke/reviews
8. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-35860140
9. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-aaib-is-deploying-a-team-to-stoke-medway-airfield-kent
10. https://ukga.com/images/content/image22580.jpg
11. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.hapshack.com/images/SanUH.jpg] ..,
Images:
Media:
Fatal accident to Ikarus C42 microlight, 20 Mar 16 https://t.co/qsRCseipCb pic.twitter.com/KXTfUD8hEw
— AAIB (@aaibgovuk) May 11, 2017
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Mar-2016 19:58 | FERRYAIR | Added |
| 20-Mar-2016 20:02 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 20-Mar-2016 20:26 | Anon. | Updated [Source] |
| 20-Mar-2016 21:39 | Geno | Updated [Time, Location, Destination airport, Source] |
| 20-Mar-2016 22:23 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Operator, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 20-Mar-2016 22:25 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location, Destination airport, Embed code] |
| 20-Mar-2016 22:26 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location] |
| 21-Mar-2016 10:39 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Mar-2016 10:39 | Aerossurance | Updated [Destination airport] |
| 21-Mar-2016 18:59 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Location, Destination airport, Source, Photo, ] |
| 23-Mar-2016 15:37 | LOADMASTER | Updated [Registration, Source] |
| 23-Mar-2016 15:40 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator] |
| 31-Mar-2016 16:12 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Operator, Source] |
| 21-Apr-2016 19:43 | Anon. | Updated [Phase] |
| 15-Jul-2016 14:54 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location, Destination airport] |
| 12-May-2017 22:47 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-May-2017 22:49 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 12-May-2017 22:50 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 13-May-2017 01:06 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 10-Jun-2017 09:45 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 19-Sep-2018 17:52 | harro | Updated [Embed code, Accident report, ] |
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