ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 174570
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| Date: | Saturday 3 July 1999 |
| Time: | 16:29 |
| Type: |  Cassutt IIIM |
| Owner/operator: | David Don Milne |
| Registration: | G-BPVX |
| MSN: | 99 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Bembridge Airport, Bembridge, Isle of Wight -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | Bembridge, Isle of Wight (BBP/EGHJ) |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Written off (destroyed) when crashed at Bembridge Airport, Bembridge, Isle of Wight, during a Formula 1 Air Race, killing the pilot (sole person on board). According to the following extract from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"At about 15:55 hours the Cassutt engine was started but the aircraft was held for some ten minutes due to departing traffic before closing down to await clearance for the qualification. At 16:15 hours the pilot restarted and taxied to the holding point of Runway 30. Race officials monitoring the pilot's take off considered it exemplary with no deviation despite the crosswind. His race circuits were all well flown with lap times coming down consistently and the aileron roll to the left was successfully carried out with only a minor deviation from heading on the exit from the manoeuvre.
The pilot made a wide right hand circuit to run in slightly south of the runway in order to carry out the roll to the right. A video taken by a spectator showed that the aircraft approached wings level at an estimated height of 500 feet agl and an air speed of 145 mph +/- 10 mph. The aircraft pitched 10 degrees nose up and entered a roll to the right with the nose progressively dropping to 10 degrees below the horizon at the inverted position. At this point witnesses state that the engine stopped although the propeller continued to rotate.
The wings were levelled in the inverted position and a positive inverted bunt manoeuvre took place to 60 degrees above the horizontal before the roll to the right continued to wings level. The nose initially dropped but then pitched up slightly, with the aircraft adopting a Dutch rolling motion before entering an incipient spin to the left through one rotation before impacting the grass area some 100 metres south of Runway 30.
The airfield fire crew, St John Ambulance personnel and an off duty paramedic, attended the scene immediately. The aircraft structure was severely disrupted but there was no fire. With fuel spilling from the ruptured fuel tank the fire crew deployed the necessary resources whilst medical personnel attempted to render assistance to the pilot, who had received fatal injuries. The police where at the scene and the local fire and ambulance responded rapidly. The airfield manager, who had witnessed the accident, initiated the airfield crash plan."
As the AAIB report confirms, the aircraft was "destroyed". Therefore, the registration G-BPVX was cancelled by the CAA on 15 December 1999 as "Permanently withdrawn from use" and "Addressee Status: Deceased"
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/cassutt-racer-iiim-g-bpvx-3-july-1999
2. CAA: http://www.caa.co.uk/aircraft-registration/
3. http://wight.hampshireairfields.co.uk/iowc.html
4. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1044643/
5. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1008892/
6. http://www.edendale.co.uk/MAIP/GA.B1.7.html
7. https://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Cassutt-IIIM-Racer/576336/L
8. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=17965.0
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Mar-2015 13:19 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 16-Mar-2015 13:23 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 06-Dec-2020 02:28 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Source, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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