ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 29098
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| Date: | Friday 12 May 2000 |
| Time: | 14:45 |
| Type: |  Slingsby T.61F Falke |
| Owner/operator: | London Sailplanes Ltd, London Gliding Club |
| Registration: | G-BUFP |
| MSN: | 1982 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1982 |
| Engine model: | Rollason RS Mk 2 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Dunstable Downs, Tring Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Dunstable Downs, Tring Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Ex-RAF ZA663: Civil registered as G-BUFP 8/4/1992.Written off (damaged beyond repair) when crashed on take-off, at Dunstable, Bedfordshire 12/5/2000 and hit a tree. According to the following extract from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"The student recalled noting the rainfall during the pre-flight briefing and the instructor's comment that the flight would be postponed if the rain became any heavier. However, the rain did not become heavier prior to the commencement of the take off. The student recalled the aircraft hitting bumps during the take-off roll, becoming airborne briefly before touching down again. After the third such bounce, the stick was pulled back slightly and the aircraft became airborne briefly before beginning to descend. By this time, the aircraft was overflying the airfield boundary hedge and descending into the adjacent valley. The left wing dropped and there was the noise of the left wing striking a tree. The aircraft hit the road and slid across to the far side, coming to rest by the kerb.
Fuel began to leak into the cockpit from the fuel tank and a fire started under the engine cowling. Both occupants were trapped in the wreckage initially. Witnesses from the gliding club and passing motorists came to their assistance. They managed to return the aircraft to the upright position and to extinguish the fire. The passenger became free of the wreckage during the righting process, but the instructor was released after the arrival of the emergency services a short time later.
Three eyewitnesses at the airfield all gave similar accounts of the aircraft's trajectory, indicating that the aircraft was airborne at only a very low height crossing the airfield boundary and disappeared from view into the valley thereafter.
Evidence of any initial brush by the aircraft with branches of some low trees situated at the edge of the airfield could not be found. The first major impact was with some substantial boughs of a large tree that was situated next to the gliding club's entrance road from the B 489 Dunstable to Tring road. The top of this tree was approximately 25 feet below the height of the departure end of the take-off run that was in use. This major impact was by the aircraft's outer two thirds of the left wing which effectively destroyed it. The fuselage and right wing pivoted around the left wing and the nose pitched down rapidly. This resulted in the remains of the aircraft impacting the B 489 road in a nose down, yawed to the left and inverted attitude and travelling in the general direction of the take-off run. Following the initial impact the aircraft slid, inverted, across the road until arrested by the kerb at the northern edge. Upon coming to rest a small fire started in the upper engine area which spread to the lower sides of the cockpit before it was extinguished."
Registration G-BUFP cancelled 14/8/2000 as "destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f3c9ed915d13710004a9/dft_avsafety_pdf_501824.pdf
2. CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/rk=BUFP
3. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/t61.htm
4. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=ZA
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 29-Sep-2012 18:14 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 24-Nov-2012 16:54 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Total occupants, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 25-Dec-2014 01:32 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 08-Jul-2016 13:20 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
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