Date:	Thursday 30 January 2025
Time:	16:12 UTC
Type:	Beagle B121 Pup Series 1
Owner/operator:	Trustee of: The Oscar Zulu Group
Registration:	G-AXOZ
MSN:	B121-115
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Bagby Airfield (EGNG), Hambleton, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Bagby Airfield (EGNG), Bagby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:	Bagby Airfield (EGNG), Bagby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire

Narrative:
Beagle B121 Pup Series 1 G-AXOZ, Trustee of The Oscar Zulu Group: Written off (destroyed) 30 January 2025 in a landing accident at Bagby Airfield (EGNG), Hambleton, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England. The aircraft was involved in "touch and go" landings and takeoffs at Bagby when the incident occurred. The cause of the incident was attributed by the AAIB (and the local press - see link #2) as being caused by the pilot being dazzled by the low winter sun.

The Incident was the subject of an AAIB Investigation (see link #1), and the following is an excerpt from the AAIB Report

"AAIB investigation to Beagle B121 Series 1, G-AXOZ: Approach and landing mishap, Bagby Airfield, North Yorkshire, 30 January 2025

Synopsis
G-AXOZ - Beagle B121 Series 1 Pup, G-AXOZ: Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot

The pilot was carrying out practise touch and go circuits at Bagby Airfield. After the second circuit, as he approached to carry out a touch-and-go, the aircraft drifted off the centre line. As the pilot flared the aircraft it struck a hedge near the runway to the right of the touchdown area. This caused the aircraft to veer into a muddy field, where it remained upright and came to a stop. The aircraft sustained damage during the impact; the pilot was uninjured.

The accident resulted from low sun dazzle during the approach causing the pilot to lose sight of and misidentify his touchdown aiming point.

History of the flight
The pilot was carrying out a local flight as part of a skills refresher and had flown back to Bagby Airfield to carry out touch-and-go circuits. It was late in the afternoon with a low setting sun and the pilot observed some dazzle effect during his first circuit. After his second circuit he made an approach to Runway 24 to carry out another touch-and-go. As he flared the aircraft, at a low power setting, the aircraft struck a hedge near the runway and contacted the ground to the right of the touchdown area. It veered to the right approximately 10° off the runway heading and rapidly came to a stop in a muddy field next to the runway. The pilot was uninjured, but the aircraft sustained wing, landing gear, fuselage skin and side panel damage.

Pilot’s comments
The pilot considered there were several factors which led to the accident. The wind conditions at the time were 330° at 10 to 15 kt which, in the pilot’s opinion, gave him the option of using Runway 06 but he assumed there would be a slight downwind effect. However, there was a 90°crosswind component on either runway. In choosing to carry out a touch-and-go on Runway 24 rather than Runway 06, which was normal practice at Bagby in these wind conditions, the risk of low sun causing dazzle that he had already observed in the circuit, continued to be a factor. At first, the approach was visually unhindered, and he could clearly see the touchdown point. But as the sun dazzle became more pronounced, he drifted off the runway centre line. He considered the low sun created poor runway definition which meant he had mis-identified his aiming point, but he committed to continuing instead of initiating a go-around. He also thought that there was a determination to achieve the required number of landings for currency under the 90 day1 rule after a period of non-flying, which might have affected his decision making".

Damage Sustained to airframe
Per the AAIB Report "Wing structure, landing gear, fuselage skin and side panel damage". The damage sustained to the airframe was deemed severe enough to render the aircraft as "damaged beyond economic repair", and the registration G-AXOZ was cancelled (with the airframe being de-registered) on 19 March 2025 as "destroyed".

1. AAIB Final Report 8 May 2025: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/681b158ddf188ba858873ad0/Beagle_B121_Series_1_G-AXOZ_05-25.pdf
2. https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/25153286.pilot-dazzled-sun-struck-hedge-bagby-airfield-thirsk/
3. G-AXOZ History 1969-1977: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AXOZ-1.pdf
3. G-AXOZ History 1977-1984: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AXOZ-2.pdf
4. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=70290
5. https://airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/001711417.html
6. https://airport-data.com/aircraft/G-AXOZ.html
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagby_Airfield .

Built 1969. First registered (C of R R11213/1) 7 October 1969 as G-AXOZ to the manufacturers (Beagle Aircraft Ltd, Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex). Between 7 October 1969 and 14 October 2021, G-AXOZ passed through the hands of 14 UK owners. Between 11 August 1988 to 20 August 1991, G-AXOZ was exported to the United States, and was flown there with the US Registration N70290, to an owner in Fairbanks, Alaska; reverted to the former UK registration G-AXOZ on 20 August 1991.

Total amount of airframe hours accumulated on the airframe: 4,754 as at 3 July 2024. The damage sustained to the airframe in the incident at Bagby on 30 January 2025 was deemed severe enough to render the aircraft as "damaged beyond economic repair", and the registration G-AXOZ was cancelled (with the airframe being de-registered) on 19 March 2025 as "destroyed".

G-AXOZ Beagle B.121 Pup 100 at Sywell, Northamptonshire 1 September 2018

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Jun-2025 05:10	Dr. John Smith	Added
25-Jun-2025 12:58	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]