Europa XS, G-CGDH, 27 August 2005
Europa XS, G-CGDH
Summary:
Following a normal approach to the grass Runway 27 at North Moor, the aircraft touched down harder than the pilot considered desirable, causing it to bounce and roll to the right. The pilot attempted to correct the manoeuvre by applying power and left aileron, but the right wing continued to drop. The pilot was unable to prevent the right wing from striking the ground, which caused the aircraft to rotate clockwise through 180° and roll to the left. The left wing impacted the ground during this final manoeuvre, which also resulted in two of the three propeller blades braking off. The aircraft came to rest upright, facing east in a field of short cereal crop adjacent to the runway. There was no fire and the uninjured pilot vacated the aircraft unaided. In his comprehensive and frank statement to the AAIB, the pilot attributed the accident to his lack of currency on this type of aircraft. Its landing gear, comprising a single large main wheel, a tail wheel and wing outriggers, is known to produce unusual handling characteristics on touchdown. Also, at low speed following the bounce, the attempt to roll level using aileron probably stalled the right wing, preventing recovery.
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