ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 1058
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Sunday 25 May 2003 |
| Time: | 12:45 UTC |
| Type: |  Luscombe 8F Silvaire Deluxe |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | G-AKUF |
| MSN: | 4794 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1947 |
| Engine model: | Continental C90-12F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Guestling, near Hastings, East Sussex -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Cardington, Bedfordshire |
| Guestling, near Hastings, East Sussex | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Substantially damaged 25-05-2003 in a landing accident at Guestling, near Hastings, East Sussex. No injuries sustained by the pilot (the sole person on board). According to the following excerpt from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"Having departed Cardington near Bedford, the pilot was attempting to land in a field surrounded by obstacles. A 3-foot high hedge ran along the northern edge of the strip, along the southern and eastern edges there were 60-foot tree lines and on the north-west corner grew an 80-foot oak tree. Power lines of height 20 feet were present north of the hedge lying across the approach while 30-foot power lines ran over the strip roughly halfway along its length.
Because it was to be his first visit to this strip, the pilot walked the site a few days before his flight, ascertaining that the strip was around 370 yards (1,110 feet) long and was aligned north to south. He had previously flown his aircraft into fields of this length, and another Silvaire had recently landed at this site.
The pilot made two passes at around 200 feet agl to assess the position of the power lines. On the third approach he flew over the first set of power lines and was lined-up on a southerly course for the gap between the trees on the east side and an oak tree to the west of the landing area. Close to touchdown unexpected sink was encountered and the aircraft began to undershoot. The pilot tried to compensate by opening the throttle, but the engine was slow to respond. The main wheels clipped the top of the hedge, followed by the tail plane. The wheels dug into soft ground short of the landing area and the aircraft nosed over on to its back. Restrained by a 3-point harness the pilot was uninjured. He kicked open the left cockpit door and escaped through it."
Conclusions
The pilot thought that the slow engine response was due to it having cooled during the last circuit, and that with the wind from 220° at 5 knots he was downwind of the large oak tree at the time the increased rate of descent was observed, suggesting this may have produced the sink. He also believed that the nearby tree line to the east gave him a false impression of speed, thereby leading him to a low and slow situation because he was tending to use visual cues rather than the airspeed indicator to judge his speed.
Nature of Damage sustained to airframe: Per the AAIB report "Bent propeller and landing gear.Fuselage beyond economic repair". G-AKUF was repaired, and sold on to a new owner on 28-03-2007
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422edc7ed915d13710001a1/dft_avsafety_pdf_023901.pdf
2.CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/rk=AKUF
3. http://www.laa-archive.org.uk/results.php?q=G-AKUF&fields=reg
4. http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000479100.html
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 21 February 1989 | G-AKUF | Private | 0 | Tory House, Westhyde, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire | |
sub |
Media:
Luscombe 8F Silvaire G-AKUF at Kemble, Gloucestershire in 2003:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Jan-2008 09:43 | JINX | Added |
| 21-Aug-2008 13:10 | JINX | Updated |
| 02-Dec-2012 11:10 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 25-Jul-2016 22:15 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 15-May-2022 03:59 | Ron Averes | Updated [Aircraft type] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation