Date:	Tuesday 20 June 2017
Time:	18:20
Type:	Stolp SA-300 Star Duster Too
Owner/operator:	Banana Group
Registration:	G-BNNA
MSN:	1462
Year of manufacture:	1973
Engine model:	Lycoming O-360-A1F
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	Keyston Airfield, Keyston, Cambridgeshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Keyston Airfield, Keyston, Cambridgeshire
Destination airport:	Keyston Airfield, Keyston, Cambridgeshire
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Written off (damaged beyond repair) in a runway excursion during landing, at Keyston Airfield, Cambridgeshire, on 20 June 2017. According to the following excerpt from the official AAIB report into the accident...

"The flight to and the approach into Keyston Airfield were normal. The grass runway of the farm strip is unmarked and is bordered by a hedge to the east and barley field to the west.

In the three-point landing attitude of the Star Duster there is no forward visibility of the runway, so visual cues are taken from either side of the aircraft. Prior to touchdown the pilot had been prioritising his cues to the east side (where the hedge and parked aircraft were located) and had neglected to monitor the west side sufficiently. He was therefore unaware that the aircraft had drifted half over the crop margin. It touched down in the barley crop and the resultant rapid deceleration caused it to nose over. The momentum continued the rotation vertically over the tail and back onto the landing gear and the aircraft came to rest, upright, at the runway/crop boundary. The pilot disembarked the aircraft normally.

The pilot assessed that contributory factors to the accident were: this being his first landing at the airfield in a tail wheel aircraft and rushing his decisions due to being late for a planned meeting with friends."

Damage sustained to airframe: Per the AAIB report "Extensive damage to front and rear of fuselage". The damage sustained must have been presumably enough to render the airframe as "damaged beyond economic repair", as the registration G-BNNA was cancelled on 11 July 2017 as "destroyed"

Keyston Airfield is located West of Keyston village, approximately 10 nautical miles West North-West of Huntingdon town centre. The airfield has one grass runway 600 metres long and 45 metres wide, orientated 03/21.

1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/59b001c3ed915d03379445ba/Starduster_Too_SA300_G-BNNA_09-17.pdf
2. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/G-BNNA.html
3. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N8SD.html
4. https://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Keyston
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyston
6. https://www.southyorkshireaircraftmuseum.org.uk/our-aircraft

This Stolp SA-300 Star Duster Too was built in 1973, and was previously registered in the United States as N8SD. The aircraft was first UK registered as G-BNNA on 29 June 1987, moving on to its 2nd owner on 20 March 1989.
On 13 July 2000, the registration was briefly cancelled by the CAA but was reinstated six days later on 19 July 2000 to its 3rd owner.

Moving on to the aircraft\'s fourth owner on 18 February 2002, only staying briefly, before being re-registered to the fifth owner on 8 November 2002. The fifth and sixth owners were the "Trustees of the Banana Group" (a reference to the registration G-BNNA, and its overall yellow paintwork) being nominally re-registered on 14 March 2016 when the nominated trustee changed.

After the incident at Keyston on 20 June 2017, the damage sustained must have been presumably enough to render the airframe as "damaged beyond economic repair", as the registration G-BNNA was cancelled on 11 July 2017 as "destroyed". The damaged remains (mainly the forward fuselage and cockpit area) were acquired by the South Yorkshire Air Museum Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK as a static display airframe

Stolp SA300 Star Duster Too ‘G-BNNA’ (c/no 1462, Built 1973): Written off in a landing accident at Keyston Airfield on 20th June 2017. Remains at South Yorkshire Air Museum Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK 7th August 2020 Stolp SA-300 Star Duster Too G-BNNMA at Leicester Airport, Stoughton, Leicestershire (EGBG) 19 April 2016

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Sep-2017 21:37	Dr. John Smith	Added
02-Jun-2024 15:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, ]