Date:	Saturday 17 July 1999
Time:	13:00 UTC
Type:	de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Vintage Aviation Ltd
Registration:	G-AHUF
MSN:	86221
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Shoreham Airport, Cecil Pashley Way, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Shoreham Airport, West Sussex (EGKA)
Destination airport:	Shoreham Airport, West Sussex (EGKA)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 86221; Taken on charge as NL750 at 222 MU RAF High Ercall, Shropshire 10.8.43 for packing and crating for overseas shipment. Shipped to India 27.8.43 on the s.s "City of Exeter"; arrived Bombay (Mumbai) 8.10.43. Presumed struck off charge by ACFE 7.5.47 (or 5.7.47). Actually “acquired” by Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm 5.2.44 at Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka). To RNARY Coimbatore [1.44-3.44]. To RNAS Colombo [7.44-8.44]. To 1700A Flight, FAA RN, RNAS Trincomalee, Ceylon 1.46. Struck off charge 6.48 and converted to instructional airframe A750 [unconfirmed]; to instructional airframe A2123. To RNEC Manadon [by 6.54]. To HMS Condor, RNAS Arbroath [by 4.59]. To Roborough, Plymouth. Devon [by 7.64] as spares; later to HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset[by 9.67].

Struck off charge and sold. UK civil registered G-AHUF 26.2.85 to Dudley Sinclair & Irene Marion Morgan, Gosport, Hampshire. Stored at Lower Upham; on rebuild at Roughay Farm, Bishops Waltham [by 1992]. Re-registered 26.9.96 to Luke Daniel Chapman, Horsham, Sussex; aircraft based at Shoreham-by-sea, West Sussex. CofA issued 11.12.96; painted as T7997 [see comments under G-AOBH]. Registered 22.7.98 to First County Finance [UK] Ltd, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire; operated [by 1999] by Vintage Aviation, Shoreham.

Substantially damaged 17.7.99 in a landing accident at Shoreham Airport, Cecil Pashley Way, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex. No injuries reported to the two persons on board. According to the following excerpt from the official AAIB report into the accident:

"The aircraft was observed by several witnesses at around 13:00 hrs carrying out a landing on grass Runway 25 at Shoreham Airport. They described the approach as higher than usual and saw the aircraft using a side-slip to lose height. The final approach was described as fast and steep with the landing resulting in a heavy touchdown on the main wheels. The aircraft was then seen to bounce several times down the runway before coming to a stop. After completing the landing the aircraft was taxyed back to the apron and parked.

In the front seat of the aircraft for this flight was a private pilot who had arranged a trial flight in the Tiger Moth through a local flying club. He had more than 1,000 hours flying experience but limited time on tail wheel types. His understanding was that he would be having a lesson from a flying instructor employed by the club. The flight was uneventful until the approach phase which he felt was steep, with a high rate of descent. The landing was hard and the aircraft bounced back into the air. The nose then pitched forward and there were several more bounces before the aircraft came to a stop. On questioning the instructor after the flight he was informed that the landing was normal and within the normal stresses that the aircraft could withstand.

The rear seat pilot who was pilot in command for this flight was handling the aircraft for the landing. He was not a qualified flying instructor although the club had employed him in that capacity. He was unable to provide any details of the accident flight since he is of the opinion that the damage to the aircraft was not caused during the course of it but must have occurred during a subsequent flight. There was no record available from the airfield movement log of any flights by G AHUF on the day of the reported accident. Therefore it was not possible to determine whether the aircraft flew that day; if so on how many occasions; or whether there were any flights after the one described.

The damage to the aircraft was not immediately obvious; the only external signs were slackness in the rigging wires. Once this was noticed the aircraft was not flown again and it was later taken by road to a repair organisation. The damage could only be fully assessed once the fabric had been removed from the wings."

Damage sustained to airframe: Per the AAIB report "Damage to main spars and rigging".

To Crofton Aeroplane Services, Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire for repairs; C of A renewed. Registration cancelled 8.3.2002 by CAA. Registration G-AHUF restored 22.4.2002 to Dream Ventures Ltd [Adrian Matthews], Rochdale, Lancashire [aircraft based at Bagby]. First Reflown after rebuild 8.8.2003; aircraft initally based at Full Sutton; to Wickenby. Lincolnshire late 2007 for operation by the International Tiger Moth Charitable Trust. C of A lapsed 12.7.2009 and stored Barton, Eccles, Lancashire. C of A renewed 14.9.2012; based Breighton, East Yorkshire, painted as T-7997. Re-registered 25.2.16 to Susan Ann Crossland, trustee of the Eaglescott Tiger Moth Group, Eaglescott. Currently registered

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft NA100-NZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
2. Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946 (Ray Sturtivant, Mick Burrow & Le Howard, Air Britain 2004 p.95)
3. AAIB Bulletin No: 2/2000 Ref: EW/C99/7/11
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/542300fced915d1371000af7/dft_avsafety_pdf_500736.pdf
4. CAA: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AHUF.pdf
5. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p862.html
7. http://www.demobbed.org.uk/aircraft.php?type=1098
8. http://www.eaglescott-airfield.com/members-aircraft/tiger-moth-g-ahuf/
9. https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/G-AHUF/961652
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_City_Airport#Present

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Jan-2008 23:09	JINX	Added
15-Oct-2009 10:41	andrewaircraft	Updated
26-May-2013 01:03	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative]
28-Nov-2014 17:20	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative]
04-Jul-2016 12:29	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
25-Jan-2022 16:55	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative, Category]
25-Jan-2022 17:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]