Pegasus Photon, G-MTAL, 5 September 2007

Pegasus Photon, G-MTAL

Summary:

The pilot took off on his maiden flight in G-MTAL. At the time Runway 30 was in use and the surface wind was from 315º at 3 to 6 kt. Soon after getting airborne the pilot found that the conditions were “rougher” than he anticipated. On his first approach to land the pilot elected to Go Around due to turbulence. During his subsequent approach the conditions were “much better”, however, after touched down the aircraft encountered a gust of wind and the aircraft rolled left. The pilot was unable to control the subsequent roll, and the aircraft rotated about its front and left wheel, before it came to rest on the left wings leading edge, causing damage to its wing keel, king post and fuselage pod. The pilot received an injury to the back of his left hand that required hospital attention. In an open and frank report the pilot stated that the causes of the accident were his lack of familiarity with the aircraft and the wind conditions. Additionally, he agreed that his lack of flying recency was likely to have been a contributory factor.

This overview has been truncated. Please refer to the official documents below for the complete canonical report.

95 © Crown copyright 2007 AAIB Bulletin: 12/2007 G-MTAL EW/G2007/09/07 ACCIDENT Aircraft Type and Registration: Pegasus Photon, G-MTAL No & Type of Engines: 1 Rotax 277 piston engine Year of Manufacture: 1986 Date & Time (UTC): 5 September 2007 at 1012 hrs Location: Davidstow Moor Airfield, Cornwall Type of Flight: Private Persons on Board: Crew - 1 Passengers - None Injuries: Crew - 1 (Minor) Passengers - N/A Nature of Damage: Damage to wing keel, king post and fuselage pod Commander’s Licence: Private Pilot’s Licence Commander’s Age: 78 years Commander’s Flying Experience: 130 hours (of which 0.15 were on type) Last 90 days - 2 hours Last 28 days - 0 hours Information Source: Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot Synopsis Just after landing, G-MTAL encountered a gust of wind. The pilot was unable to control the subsequent roll and the aircraft came to rest on the left wing’s leading edge. History of the flight The pilot was planning his maiden flight in Pegasus Photon, G-MTAL; a single-seat, tricycle landing gear, microlight. Its cross wind limit was a “maximum 8 mph”. As it was a single-seat aircraft, another pilot flew a circuit in G-MTAL and confirmed that the weather was suitable for the maiden flight. The pilot took off in G-MTAL approximately 20 minutes later. Concrete Runway 30 was in use and the surface wind was 315º/3-6 kt. Shortly after getting airborne, the pilot encountered conditions “rougher” than anticipated. On his first approach to land he elected to go around due to turbulence. During his subsequent approach the conditions were “much better”, but after touching down, the aircraft encountered a gust of wind and rolled to the left. The pilot was unable to control the roll and the aircraft rotated about its front and left wheel, before it came to rest on the left wing’s leading edge. He received a hand injury that required hospital attention. Pilot’s comments In an open and frank report the pilot stated that the causes of the accident were his lack of familiarity with the aircraft and the wind conditions. Additionally, he agreed that his lack of flying recency was likely to have been a contributory factor. He added that all his previous flying experience has been in weight-shift microlights.

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