ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 32598
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| Date: | Wednesday 10 March 1999 |
| Time: | 13:30 |
| Type: |  Cessna FA152 Aerobat (Reims) |
| Owner/operator: | Walkbury Aviation Ltd |
| Registration: | G-BIHE |
| MSN: | F152-0373 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | South of Queensborough, near Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey, Kent -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | Peterborough/Sibson Airport, Cambridgeshire (EGSP) |
| Lashenden (Headcorn) Airfield, Kent (EGKH) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Written off (damaged beyond repair) 10 March 1999 when crashed near Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey, Kent. According to the following extract from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"The aircraft took off from Sibson Airfield, Cambridgeshire, at 11:45 hours. It was fitted with long-range fuel tanks, which had been filled, giving approximately 6 hours endurance. After conducting aerial photographic work in the area of Colchester, Essex, the pilot set course to take further photographs in the Canterbury area, with the intention of then landing at Lashenden (Headcorn) Airfield in Kent, routing via Southend to avoid a long over-water crossing of the Thames estuary.
The pilot set out across the Thames at 1,500 feet agl, lower than his preferred level of 2,400 feet agl because of the reduced cloud base, with the engine speed at approximately 2,400 RPM. Approximately 3 minutes later, as the pilot was changing the configuration of his photographic equipment, the engine suddenly and smoothly ran down. The aircraft was by then over the mouth of the River Medway, just west of Sheerness, still at 1,500 feet agl.
The pilot immediately selected carburettor heat on and carried out the engine failure drill. He reported that the engine seemed to be suffering from intermittent fuel starvation; by pumping the throttle he could keep the engine going and three or four times it burst into life and produced high power for a few seconds
The pilot transmitted a Mayday call to Southend Airport and turned left towards the shore. He found that his options were very limited because of the aircraft's position and height, with the built up area of Queensborough extending to the shore on the left, the West Swale river beneath and marshes to the right.
He selected an area of open land to the south of Queensborough and attempted to turn 180 degrees to the left to land into wind, with the engine still producing some power. However, the height and power were insufficient to enable the turn to be completed and he was forced to land straight ahead into a field with a rougher surface. Full flap was selected and, with the engine still producing some power, the pilot aimed at achieving a gentle touchdown. There was insufficient time for him to switch off the fuel, electrics or magnetos before the landing.
The nose wheel dug in on the soft uneven ground and detached, the propeller impacted the bank of a ditch and the aircraft nosed over onto its back and came to rest inverted. The engine, the engine firewall and the instrument panel were displaced aft and the right wing was severely damaged.
The aircraft was fitted with a four-point harness but the pilot normally flew with the shoulder straps unfastened when photographing and had managed to refasten only the right shoulder strap before touchdown. He sustained severe bruising to the ribs but was otherwise uninjured and was able to jettison the cockpit left door and vacate the aircraft unaided. There was no fire".
Damage sustained to G-BIHE: Nose landing gear detached, fuselage distorted, right wing severely damaged. All of which must have rendered G-BIHE as "beyond economic repair", as the registration was cancelled by the CAA on 21 July 1999 as aircraft "destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/reims-cessna-fa152-aerobat-g-bihe-10-march-1999
2. CAA: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-BIHE.pdf
3. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=17620.0
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 02-Sep-2012 02:37 | Uli Elch | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 12-Mar-2015 00:26 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Mar-2015 00:27 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport] |
| 12-Mar-2015 00:33 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 26-Jan-2020 17:34 | Uli Elch | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 10-Nov-2020 00:16 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Accident report] |
| 10-Nov-2020 00:16 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 29-Jun-2022 07:39 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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