Gemini Flash 2A, G-MWMS, 1 July 2009

113 © Crown copyright 2010 AAIB Bulletin: 2/2010 G-MWMS EW/C2009/07/01 ACCIDENT Aircraft Type and Registration: Gemini Flash 2A, G-MWMS No & Type of Engines: 1 Rotax 503 piston engine Year of Manufacture: 1990 Date & Time (UTC): 1 July 2009 at 1229 hrs Location: Park Hall Country Park, near Weston Coyney, Stoke-on- Trent, Staffordshire Type of Flight: Private Persons on Board: Crew - 1 Passengers - None Injuries: Crew - 1 (Serious) Passengers - N/A Nature of Damage: Extensive Commander’s Licence: National Private Pilot’s Licence Commander’s Age: 58 years Commander’s Flying Experience: 180 hours (of which 0 were on type) Last 90 days - 0 hours Last 28 days - 0 hours Information Source: AAIB Field Investigation Synopsis The pilot was on his first flight in a flexwing microlight. Shortly after takeoff the microlight crashed, seriously injuring the pilot. The pilot had three-axis microlight flying experience but had not completed any differences training for a flexwing microlight as required by Licensing Administration Standardisation Operating Requirements Safety (LASORS). His fixed wing recency had also expired. History of the flight Having been given access to a friend’s recently mown field the pilot assembled the microlight with the assistance of the friend. The friend stated that the pilot’s intention was just to taxi around the field a few times. Once the microlight was assembled the pilot donned his flying clothing and strapped in. The friend then pulled the rope to start the engine and it started on the second pull. The pilot taxied the microlight in a diagonal/easterly direction down the field, turned around halfway down the field and taxied back to where he had started. He set off again in the same direction but this time closed the throttle just less than halfway down the field. He re-opened the throttle and the aircraft accelerated, becoming airborne about halfway down the remaining part of the field. The microlight initially climbed steeply and straight 114 © Crown copyright 2010 AAIB Bulletin: 2/2010 G-MWMS EW/C2009/07/01 ahead before turning right onto a southerly heading towards Park Hall Country Park. It turned further right, using about 45° of bank, towards a golf course (accident site) and descended. The friend lost sight of the microlight as it went below the horizon. The aircraft subsequently impacted the golf course 700 m from the departure site. Eyewitnesses on the golf course assisted the pilot before he was taken to hospital by an air ambulance. He remained in hospital with serious injuries for six weeks. Pilot’s details The pilot held a ‘three-axis’ National Private Pilot’s Licence (NPPL) with a current medical declaration. The last flight entry in his log book was 18 October 2007. Prior to this he had maintained reasonable recency and had revalidated his licence skills test whenever it had expired. Pilot’s comments The pilot was interviewed seven weeks after the accident after being released from hospital. He stated that he had no recollection of the accident or any of his activities during the morning before the accident. He added that he did not believe it was his intention to fly that day. Previously he had flown in the rear seat of a flexwing microlight and flown the takeoff and landing, but this was not on an instructional flight. Although he did not understand why he had become airborne, he added that it was an “act of stupidity” to do so and to start the takeoff run from half way down the field. He said he had checked the manufacturer’s manuals to calculate a takeoff distance required and paced out the field believing it to be 230 m along the takeoff direction. The pilot added that while he was aware of his lack of recency, he had not renewed his skills test as he had been occupied with a new business. He stated that although the fuel selector needed to be reachable in flight, he would never turn it off. Although he had been advised to take lessons in a flexwing microlight he does not know why he had not done so. Aircraft information The Gemini Flash is a two-seat flexwing microlight aircraft. As with other flexwing microlights they are controlled by moving the control bar of the aircraft. The sense of the controls for this type of aircraft is different from that of conventional three-axis aircraft. For example to turn left in a flexwing the control bar is moved to the right, as opposed to moving the control stick to the left or applying left rudder pedal on a three- axis aircraft. Similarly, pulling the control bar rearwards results in pitching the nose down in a flexwing aircraft, whereas pulling the stick rearwards in a three-axis aircraft results in pitching the aircraft nose up. The aircraft was manufactured in 1990 and was powered by a two-cylinder two-stroke Rotax 503 engine driving a three-bladed pusher propeller. This engine is air-cooled and has a fan mounted in a shroud near the cylinder heads to increase the airflow around the cylinders, and to provide warmed air to the air intake. The fuel selector lever was located close to the engine in a position that required the pilot to reach over his shoulder to reach it in flight. The pilot bought the aircraft in August 2008 and sent the wing to the manufacturer for a strip and rebuild in April 2009. The BMAA issued a Certificate of Validity for the aircraft on 29 May 2009 which was valid for 12 months and included a flight test by a BMAA inspector. 115 © Crown copyright 2010 AAIB Bulletin: 2/2010 G-MWMS EW/C2009/07/01 Field suitability In the BMAA Code of Good Practice for Microlight Clubs it states in the section titled BMAA Minimum Criteria for a Microlight Flying Site the following: BMAA Site Recommendations For Private Sites 1. Permission for use must be obtained from the landowner 2. Location should be outside controlled airspace. If not, permission from the Senior Air Traffic Controller responsible for such airspace must be ontained. 3. The site should be smooth, reasonably level and well drained when in use. 4. The take-off/landing criteria are as follows- The runway should be a minimum length ●● of 250 metres and a minimum width of 10 metres. The manufacturer agreed with this minimum runway length assuming there were no obstacles. They added that the takeoff roll was likely to be approximately 100 m. Airfield information The field from which the aircraft departed had been recently mown, and measured approximately 200 by 100 m, see Figure 1. It was surveyed by Parkhall Country Park Accident site Location and direction for takeof ©2009 Google - Imagery ©2009 DigitalGlobe, Infoterra Ltd, Bluesky, GeoEye, Getmapping plc, Map data ©2009 Tele Atlas Figure 1 116 © Crown copyright 2010 AAIB Bulletin: 2/2010 G-MWMS EW/C2009/07/01 the Staffordshire Police Collision Support Unit. The aircraft had taken off in a direction that had 180 m of field available on a downward slope of approximately 6%. LASORS The General Information section of LASORS 2008 states in Section 3, National Private Pilot’s Licence (Aeroplanes), under the title Differences Training the following: ‘He shall not fly as pilot in command of such a microlight aeroplane where the aeroplane has flexwing controls and his previous training and experience has only been in an aeroplane with 3 axis controls unless appropriate training has been completed and recorded in his personal flying logbook.’ It was, however, noted that there was no such requirement for holders of Private Pilot’s Licences (PPL) in LASORS. Schedule 8 of the Air Navigation Order (ANO), states the following: ‘Section 2 – Aircraft and instructor ratings which may be included in United Kingdom Licences, JAR-FCL Licences and National Private Pilot’s Licences (Aeroplanes) (1) The following ratings may be included in a United Kingdom pilot licence, a JAR-FCL pilot licence or a National Private Pilot’s Licence (Aeropl

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Gemini Flash 2A, G-MWMS, 1 July 2009

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