ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 245286
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| Date: | Saturday 7 August 1982 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Southern Aerosports Scorpion |
| Owner/operator: | Flylight South East |
| Registration: | G-MBLI |
| MSN: | FSE-01 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Kitchenham Farm, Kitchenham Road, Ashburnham, Battle, East Sussex -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | Ashburnham, Battle, East Sussex |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Southern Aerosports Scorpion G-MBLI: First registered (C of R G-MBLI/R1) on 18 February 1982 to Graham Charles Hillier and Robert James Freestone trading as Flylight South East
Written off (destroyed) 7 August 1982: The fatal crash of Southern Aerosports Scorpion G-MBLI on 7 August 1982 at Kitchenham Farm, Kitchenham Road, Ashburnham, Battle, East Sussex, was the second of three Scorpion crashes in just over two months. The other two were G-MMMM (on 27 June 1982) and G-MBUN (on 23 August 1982). G-MBLI was destroyed in a crash while giving an air display at a village fete at Ashburnham, East Sussex. A contemporary newspaper report has further details ("Daily Mirror" Monday 9 August 1982):
"Fete plane crashes
A PILOT was fighting for his life last night after his plane crashed during a display at a village fete. Horrified crowds saw the wings of Graham Hillier's micro-light aircraft collapse and the plane plunge 150 feet.
Graham, 29, had been asked to fly over the fete at Ashburnham, East Sussex, as an added attraction for the crowd. He was about to land when the accident happened. Graham received serious back and leg injuries. Board of Trade investigators are trying to establish the cause of the accident".
All Southern Aero Sports Scorpions were grounded by the UK Civil Aviation Authority in late 1982. This followed a series of three in-flight structural failures, two on single-seaters and one on a two-seater, which resulted in three deaths and one serious injury. Subsequent investigation by the Accident Investigation Branch revealed a lack of torsional stiffness in the main structural components, as well as a poor standard of detail engineering. The company went into liquidation shortly after the accidents. By the end of 1982 they were no longer trading. Between 30 and 40 Scorpions were made, in various guises, all using Robin engines of either 330 or 440 cc.
Registration G-MBLI cancelled (and aircraft de-registered) by the CAA on 22 July 1987
Sources:
1. Daily Mirror - Monday 9 August 1982
2. http://all-aero.com/index.php/54-planes-p-q-e-r-s/10460-southern-aero-sports-scorpion
3. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=17937.0
4. https://www.bmaa.org/the-bmaa/bmaa-history/bmaa-history-1982
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashburnham_and_Penhurst
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Nov-2020 19:22 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
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