ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 245380
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| Date: | Saturday 14 August 1982 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Johnstone & Fountain Microwave |
| Owner/operator: | Alan Roy Frederick Fountain |
| Registration: | G-MJBU |
| MSN: | ARFF-01 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Outlands Farm, 1 mile East of Camber, East Sussex -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Outlands Farm, Camber, East Sussex |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Very little information is publicly available about the demise of this aircraft. The CAA G-INFO website says no more than that Johnstone & Fountain Microwave G-MJBU was a microlight of amateur construction built by 'Johnstone & Fountain A.'.
The latter seems to have been its registered owner, Alan Roy Frederick Fountain of Elphinstone Road, Hastings. It was registered on 30 June 1982 and survived for less than three months thereafter because on 19 September 1982 it crashed in a field near Outwards Farm, Camber, East Sussex
That crash is noted as fatal, and it is no coincidence that the registered owner - Alan Roy Frederick Fountain of Hastings, East Sussex - was killed on the very same day as the accident
An excerpt from the AAIB Accident Report records that the crash occurred one mile to the east of Camber. However, the location must have been close to the Lydd ranges as the AAIB report speaks of its flight taking the Microwave close to the boundary fence of the ranges.
It seems that Mr Fountain and a friend (Mr Johnstone?) were longstanding aero-modellers, who had built and flown many model aircraft for many years. But what they were not (or, at least, Mr Fountain was not) were trained pilots of manned aircraft. In its report, the AAIB describes Mr Fountain's flying experience as '3 passenger flights in light aircraft and 20 to 30 short hops and circuits in microlight aircraft'.
Mr Fountain and his friend took what might be considered, by some, to be a logical step for aero-modellers, namely the design and construction of a full size manned aircraft, the Microwave. Its fuselage is not described in the report but that does say that the wing was 30 feet long by 5 feet wide, employed timber spars and ribs and was canvas covered. The wing profile is described as 'a conventional low speed, high-lift aerofoil section'. It was a conventional three axis microlight aircraft, which employed spoilers for roll control.
The initial emanation of the Microwave was tested by a qualified pilot with a PPL. He expressed the view that it was stable but that its lateral control would be better if the spoilers were replaced by ailerons. The report states that, before this recommendation was implemented, the Microwave made fifty to sixty successful flights over a two month period. However as the report does not say that these flights were undertaken by the qualified pilot and having regard to what it states Mr Fountain's flying experience to have been, perhaps it is reasonable to deduce that these were made by Mr Fountain and/or his friend.
Ultimately the recommended modification was made and the Microwave's spoilers were replaced with elevators. These were flat plywood plates, 1.625 metres long, with an average width of 15 cm and hinged to the wing's trailing edge. They had a range of 40º either side of their neutral position, a range which the AAIB noted to be much beyond the normal range (probably they worked more like flaps than ailerons). There was nothing in the design or construction of the Microwave to counteract the high drag that would be experienced from the ailerons at their full downward range or prevent them from going down so far as to cause the wing to stall. Furthermore, no ground trials of the modified aircraft were carried out to ascertain its likely flying characteristics
The qualified pilot, who had tested the Microwave when it had spoilers installed, was unavailable to do so when these had been replaced with elevators. Thus on the morning of 19 September 1982 Mr Fountain did so. He first made a short hop in the Microwave, using the elevators to bank only slightly to port and starboard. He landed and then took off again, indicating an intention to make a longer hop. However this hop turned into a flight. He climbed to 200 feet and, flying slowly at low power, made a gentle turn to port. Having turned through about 135º, the Microwaves's angle of bank increased. As the turn became steeper, the Microwave started to descend. Mr Fountain applied full power. Still the Microwave descended until it crashed into the ground at an angle of 45º down with its wings vertical and its rudder central.
It would appear that Mr Fountain was either killed in the crash or suffered fatal injuries. He died and the Microwave was destroyed. The AAIB does not say what it considered to be the cause of the crash. However it seems reasonable to deduce that it was an inherent design defect (probably that of the newly installed and hitherto untested ailerons) combined with the pilot's lack of flying experience and skill (which, if he had these, might have prevented him getting into the pre-crash predicament and/or enabled him to get out of it - or might have led him to decide against making the flight in the first place)
Its registration was cancelled by the CAA on 10 May 1985 as destroyed. Note that, due to an administrative/transcription error, the name of the pilot/registered owner was recorded as "Foulitain" [sic]
Sources:
1. Daily Mirror - Monday 20 September 1982
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-MJBU.pdf
3. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=17943.0
4. London Gazette 9 November 1982: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/49163/page/14675/data.pdf
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Dec-2020 01:13 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 06-Dec-2020 01:17 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 06-Jan-2021 20:14 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 06-Jan-2021 20:16 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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