Date:	Wednesday 24 June 2009
Time:	14:20 LT
Type:	de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Joseph Charles Wright
Registration:	G-APAP
MSN:	83018
Year of manufacture:	1940
Engine model:	De Havilland Gipsy Major I
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Henlow, Bedfordshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Henlow, Bedfordshire (EGWE)
Destination airport:	Henlow, Bedfordshire (EGWE)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 83018 (Gipsy Major #82829)l Taken on charge as R5136 at 15 MU RAF Wroughton, Wiltshire 11.4.40. To 54 OTU RAF Church Fenton, North Yorkshire 13.11.40. To 45 MU RAF Kinloss 18.12.41. To 16 EFTS RAF Burnaston, Derbyshire 27.7.42. To 8 MU RAF Little Rissington, Gloucestershire 21.9.45. To Central Flying School, RAF Little Rissington, Gloucestershire 15.8.47. To 7 FTS RAF Cottesmore, Rutland 14.12.48, coded "FBC-I". To 30 MU RAF Sealand 16.6.49 for operational use (not storage). To RAF Sealand Station Flight 31.8.50. To Stoke Heath [by 2.53].

Struck off RAF charge as Cat.5(s) as scrap 8.7.53. Brought back on charge and sold again 30.6.54 as Cat.5(s) as scrap to Wolverhampton Aviation Ltd., Pendeford, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire (but delivered before May 1954). Roaded from Wolverhampton to Thruxton before January 1956. UK civil registered as G-APAP (C of R R5935/1) 3.4.57 to The Wiltshire School of Flying Ltd, Thruxton, Andover, Hampshire. Modified to Thruxton Jackaroo (type change notified by Air Ministry 29.4.58); first flown after conversion 7.9.59 and C of A issued 11.9.59. Operated from 2.9.59 by Airspray (Colchester) Ltd. Registration cancelled 1.3.65 and re-registered (C of R 5935/2) on 9.3.65 to Malcolm Francis Ogilvie-Forbes, Thruxton, Andover, Hampshire.

Registration cancelled 3.2.68 and re-registered (C of R R5935/3) on 6.3.68 to Harold Desmond Vincent Leech, Winchester, Hampshire (on behalf of syndicate; aircraft based Netheravon, later Upavon, Wiltshire). Withdrawn from use after last flight 27.7.79; CofA lapsed same day. Registration cancelled 9.3.82 and re-registered (C of R G-APAP/4) 13.4.82 to Jane Lesley Griffin, Bidfordon-Avon, Wiltshire. Regsitration cancelled and re-registered (C of R G-APAP/R5) 3.10.83 to Roger Alan Slade, Bristol, Gloucestershire. Converted back to DH.82A Tiger Moth at Melksham, Wiltshire and first reflown after conversion 17.8.86. C of A renewed 18.9.86; aircraft based at Keevil, Wiltshire.

Minor damage 1.12.90 in a low speed collision while taxying on sloping ground at Nympsfield Airfield, Gloucestershire (see link #5 for AAIB report). Badly damaged on take-off Kingston Deverill, near Warminster, Wiltshire 4.9.94 (see link #4 for AAIB report).

Re-registered (C of R G-APAP/R6) 8.12.94 to John Romain, Great Abbington, Cambridge (aircraft based at Duxford); rebuilt by [his company] The Aircraft Restoration Co and painted in 1943-era RAF colours as R-5136. First reflown after rebuild 8.4.2001 and C of A renewed 1.5.2001. Delivered 28.5.2003 and re-registered (C of R G-APAP/R7) 11.11.2003 to Joseph Charles [Joe] Wright, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire [aircraft based at Henlow, Bedfordshire]. Hit hay bale on landing and resulting inspection revealed broken main spar in starboard lower wing at Henlow, Bedfordshire 24.6.2009. According to the summary of the AAIB report into the incident (see link #1):

"The examiner, who was sat in the front seat of the Tiger Moth, was undertaking a renewal flight for the student’s lapsed SSEA NPPL rating. The surface wind was from approximately 090° at less than 10 kt and Runway 09 was in use. Aircraft taxiing from the parking area to Runway 09 normally use a taxiway that runs along the left side of Runway 31; however, a large model aircraft and a car were parked on the taxiway and the student therefore had to taxi along Runway 31. The taxi was uneventful until they approached the parked car, when the aircraft veered to the right and departed the runway. The examiner saw a hay bale, which he thought would hit the left wing, and took control of the aircraft, steering it to the right. He then observed a second hay bale, which was not an immediate threat to the aircraft, and after clearing the first bale he steered to the left to position the aircraft back onto the runway. During this manoeuvre the aircraft struck a third bale that had been obscured from his view by the right wing. The examiner and student believe that the accident occurred because they had been distracted by the car and model aircraft parked on the taxiway".

Repaired by Skysport Engineering, Thorncote Green (10.2009-8.2011). Sold to Will Flanagan, Netherthorpe, Worksop, Nottinghamshire; delivered 19.8.2011. Re-registered (C of R G-APAO/R8) 3.11.2011 to Blue Eye Aviation Ltd (Andrew John MacDonald/Will Flanagan), Netherthorpe, Worksop, Notinghgamshire. Re-registered (C of R G-APAP/R9) on 24.5.2012 to Richard Flanagan & Susan Flanagan, Grantham, Lincolnshire (aircraft based at Gamston, Nottinghamshire). Re-registered (C of R G-APAP/R10) on 9.12.13 to Tiger Leasing Co Ltd (Richard & William Flanagan); operated by Blue Eye Aviation Ltd (William Flanagan), at Netherthorpe, Worksop, Nottinghamshire. Re-registered (C of R G-APAP/R11) on 2.11.2017 to Sarah Elaine Ford, Foston, Derby (aircraft based at Darley Moor). C of A lapsed 31.10.2019. Currently registered

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft R1000-R9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1980)
2. The British Civil Aircraft Register G-APAA and G-APZZ (Bernard Martin, Air Britain, 1978 p.14)
3. AAIB Bulletin: 12/2009 G-APAP EW/G2009/06/29: (Accident 24.6.2009) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/54230469ed915d1374000c0f/DH82A_Tiger_Moth__G-APAP_12-09.pdf
4. AAIB Bulletin: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422ee26ed915d13710001cf/DH82A_Tiger_Moth__G-APAP_10-94.pdf (Accident 4.9.1994)
5. AAIB Bulletin: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f218e5274a13140003b7/De_Havilland_DH82A_Tiger_Moth__G-APAP_02-91.pdf (Accident 1.1.21990)
6. CAA History of G-APAP 1957-65: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-APAP-1.pdf
7. CAA History of G-APAP 1965-83: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-APAP-1.pdf
8. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
9. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p830.html
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Henlow .

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
23-Apr-2010 10:04	Petro	Added
11-Dec-2011 13:32	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative]
25-Aug-2012 21:36	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Embed code]
27-May-2014 17:37	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
26-Nov-2014 17:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
07-Nov-2016 17:31	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Source, Embed code]
08-Feb-2022 16:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category]
08-Feb-2022 17:03	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]