ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 191172
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| Date: | Thursday 14 May 2009 |
| Time: | 12:05 |
| Type: |  Pitts S-12 Special |
| Owner/operator: | Pitts 12 Ltd |
| Registration: | G-PXII |
| MSN: | 170 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2006 |
| Engine model: | Ivchenko Vedeneyev M-14P |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | White Waltham Airfield, 2 nm SW of Maidenhead, Berkshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | White Waltham, Maidenhead, Berkshire (EGLM) |
| White Waltham, Maidenhead, Berkshire (EGLM) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Written off (destroyed) 14-05-2009 when crashed at White Waltham Airfield, 2 nautical miles South West of Maidenhead, Berkshire: The aircraft failed to complete a ‘cobra’ aerobatic manoeuvre, possibly as a result of slow engine acceleration in the climb and subsequently impacted the ground. The pilot - the sole person on board - was seriously injured. A contemporary report (see link #3) on the pilot states:
"You may have heard that there was an accident at Waltham today involving Rob Howarth and the Pitts 12. This is to let you know what I know at present, so that rumours do not take hold. Rob is in the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford with some back injuries following an impact with a high rate of descent. As far as we know has some cracked vertebrae but apparently no spinal cord damage detected in an MRI scan. He remained conscious in the aeroplane and since.
There were witnesses to the accident, but I was not one of them, so I can say nothing yet about any possible causes. Whether the AAIB take further investigative action is still undecided, as far as I know, but the aircraft has been recovered to a hangar. I imagine that more information will become available in due course, but for now I would be grateful if there was not too much speculation. I'm sure we all send our sympathies to Rob's family and wish him a speedy recovery. Thanks."
According to the following extract from the official AAIB report:
"The pilot was practicing an aerobatic ‘flat sequence' over the airfield, intended for performance below 1,000 feet agl. Actual meteorological conditions included scattered cloud above 2,700 feet and a light wind from the north east. Witnesses saw the aircraft pitch up almost vertically before entering what was described by most as a stall turn and by others as a wing over, near the apex of which the engine was heard to “cough”.
After exiting the manoeuvre with its nose pointing downwards the aircraft pitched up to an approximately level attitude. The flight path remained downwards, however, and the aircraft struck the ground with a high rate of descent.
It bounced, leaving behind parts of the landing gear, propeller and engine cowlings, before coming to rest upright near the threshold of the grass Runway 29, approximately 250 metres south-east of the initial impact. There was no fire and the fuselage was substantially intact but the pilot, who was wearing a seven-point harness and helmet, sustained serious injuries."
Nature of Damage sustained to airframe: Per the AAIB report "Fuselage, wings and engine cowling damaged; landing
gear and propeller destroyed". As a result, the registration G-PXII was cancelled by the CAA on 12-10-2009 as aircraft "Destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/542301a740f0b61346000ba1/Pitts_S-12_Special__G-PXII_05-10.pdf
2. CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/
3. https://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?90764-Pitts-accident-at-White-Waltham
4. https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6277013
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitts_Model_12
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Nov-2016 00:42 | Dr.John Smith | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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