Safety Accident Reports Caught short Corby CJ-1 Starlet G-CBHP Bluebutts Farm, Slaidburn, Lancashire Injuries: One serious
The Corby CJ-1 is a homebuilt single-seat, fixed-wing aircraft with a 340kg maximum take-off weight. The pilot was operating from his home strip at Bluebutts Farm. The pilot estimated the strip length at 278m. The strip was surrounded by higher ground and was sloped, so Runway 02 was only used for take-off and Runway 20 was only used for landing. The wind was from 200° at six to nine knots. The pilot had been flying for an hour which had included a practice stall and some ‘touch-and-go’ landings. He was flying an approach for a final landing on Runway 20 when he reported encountering sinking air very late on finals. He applied full power and he believed that he would clear the boundary wall. However, the aircraft struck the boundary wall, knocking over a section of it, and causing significant damage to the airframe. The pilot was seriously injured. A witness and the pilot’s wife assisted the pilot and drove him to hospital. Comment While the strip clearly presented its challenges the pilot had more than 300 hours on type and was presumably familiar with the site. Even so, the decisions taken on that final approach left him with nowhere to go but down when sink was encountered. It is always tempting to make that last approach ‘bang on the numbers’ but sometimes those numbers need increasing a bit to keep a margin of safety. Although, not a decision ever taken lightly when the strip is short.
Wrong pitch Grob G109 G-CLIA Husbands Bosworth, Leicester Injuries: None
The pilot seated in the left seat was nominated as pilot in command, and the co-owner, a qualified pilot, instructor and examiner, was seated in the right seat and nominated as a passenger for the flight. Having pushed the aircraft into position for starting, both occupants boarded the aircraft and the pilot commenced the pre-start procedures using the aircraft checklist. After the engine was started, the aircraft was 50 | FLYER | February 2022
“Decisions made on final approach left nowhere to go but down…” taxied for take-off, backtracking the runway. Once the pilot was happy with the position, both pilots noted that there was a glider on finals so the take-off began without delay. The pilot had missed the final power check, which required the engine to be run at full power and a check of the maximum rpm to be performed to confirm that the propeller was in fine pitch. The pilot described the aircraft as sluggish on the take-off roll and, as the aircraft approached the half-way point of the runway, he checked that the airbrakes were stowed, and the rpm was within normal limits as he was expecting to be airborne by this point. Seeing the yellow winch caravan at the end of the runway approaching, the pilot called out his intentions to abort the take-off and stop. The passenger in the right seat called out that he had control and the pilot let go of the controls. Shortly afterwards the aircraft became airborne, although it was immediately clear that it was not climbing away as expected. The aircraft reached approximately 100ft agl before beginning to descend. The pilot called to the passenger, who was
now flying the aircraft, that there was a suitable field to their left. The aircraft banked left but struck a tree with the right wing as it descended. It turned through 180° before pitching down and striking the ground nose first. The canopy flew open and forward, and both occupants were able to vacate the aircraft without injury. The aircraft was extensively damaged. The take-off had been attempted with the propeller in coarse pitch leading to a significant loss of performance. Comment This is one of a number of recent accidents which remind us that a proper engine power check serves to confirm more than just mags, carb heat and prop functionality. It also helps confirm fuel flow/selection, mixture setting and prop pitch, and tends to leave most of the ‘levers’ in the right place for take-off. All of which should get a final check prior to take-off, of course, but in this instance a rushed departure may have compromised those checks. As an aside, despite best intentions, the (un-briefed) takeover of control removed the handling pilot’s option to abort which might well have been achieved safely.
Safety kit SPOT Gen4 Satellite Tracker FROM £124.80 Inc VAT with 20% off basic service before 31 December From SPOT Gen4
I was thinking of bringing a ‘SPOT’ of levity to this month’s Safety Kit. It is Christmas after all! Despite the SPOT range of devices being used the world over for emergency messaging when operating beyond GPRS contact, it also has a tracking function. Yes, that means Santa can be tracked leaving the North Pole if he had one of these devices mounted on his sleigh! More than that, though, if you have a bit of a ‘following’,
which may be no more than your own family, why not velcro one of these to your coaming so you can be tracked on your adventures around the Highlands and Islands. And, should anything go wrong, you are pretty much guaranteed to get assistance, wherever you are. There is a 12-monthly contract for around €12/ month but also one month only plans for €15. So why not give Santa a gift this Christmas!
