ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 280390
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| Date: | Wednesday 13 October 2021 |
| Time: | 12:16 UTC |
| Type: | Vickers Slingsby T65A Vega |
| Owner/operator: | Trustee of: VEGA G-EECK 2014 |
| Registration: | G-EECK |
| MSN: | 1917 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Engine model: | N/A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Near Portmoak Airfield, Scotlandwell, Kinross -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Portmoak Airfield, Scotlandwell, Kinross |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On the day the day of the accident, the syndicate partner was not available, so the pilot obtained assistance from a gliding club member who he briefed on the canopy locking procedure.
The pilot stated that as he was distracted talking to the club member and not fully focused on his flight, he did not complete his cockpit pre-flight checks correctly. As the club member was also distracted by the conversation with the pilot, he did not complete the canopy locking procedure. However, the pilot convinced himself that when the canopy was closed, it was also locked.
The glider subsequently took off on a winch launch from grass Runway 28. At the time the wind was from about 290° at 8 kt. Soon after takeoff, at approximately 300 ft agl, the canopy started to bounce up and down and the pilot realised it was not locked. At about 500 ft agl he released the winch cable and levelled the glider with the intention of making an abbreviated circuit, landing halfway down Runway 28.
Conscious that if the canopy detached in flight it may damage the empennage, he opened the left side panel window and pressed down on the canopy’s lower rim with his right hand. His arms were thus crossed in front of him while he controlled the glider with his left hand.
During the circuit, the pilot realised he was unable to simultaneously hold down the canopy, hold the control column and select the flaps and airbrakes. Therefore, on the final approach he attempted to secure the control column between his legs while he temporarily let go of the control column to select the flaps. However, when he did so the glider started to ‘porpoise’, probably because the glider was not in trim.
He then lost control and the glider struck the ground at an attitude of about 20° to 30° nose down, cartwheeled and came to rest inverted in a field of vegetables in the undershoot of Runway 28. This left the pilot trapped upside down in the cockpit supported by his harness.
Rescuers from the airfield were quickly on scene. The pilot was removed from the glider after his seat harness and parachute straps had been cut and a famer had lifted the glider with a forklift tractor. The pilot was subsequently taken by an air ambulance to hospital. He sustained serious injuries including a broken arm.
=Damage to Airframe=
Per the above AAIB Report the airframe as "Damaged beyond economical repair". The CAA agreed with the conclusion; the registration was cancelled (and the airframe was de-registered) on 18 May 2022 as "destroyed". G-EECK was ex-BGA2577 (built 1979), becoming G-EECK on 16 January 2014
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62b19cacd3bf7f0af7e9affc/Vickers_Slingsby_T65A_Vega_G-EECK_07-22.pdf
2. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/vega.htm
3. G-EECK as BGA2577: http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/bga2577.jpg
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Jul-2022 19:48 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 15-Jul-2022 06:24 | harro | Updated [Narrative, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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