Kolb Twinstar Mk III (Modified), G-MYOR, 18 September 2011
Kolb Twinstar MKIII (Modified), G-MYOR
Summary:
The pilot was carrying out high-speed taxi runs along grass Runway 25, following the replacement of some of the aircraft’s fuel components. Since purchasing his ‘tail dragger’, he had flown one short sortie in it with an instructor, during which he completed two circuits.
As the pilot passed the halfway point along Runway 25, at a speed of approximately 35 mph, the aircraft became airborne. This was a surprise to the pilot, as he believed it was necessary on tail-wheeled aircraft to lift the tail first before taking off, by moving the control column forward, and he still had the control column fully back. Having realised he was airborne, the pilot judged there was insufficient runway remaining, so he completed a circuit. On final approach, at a height of about 15 ft and approximately 10 mph above the stall speed, with full flaps selected, the aircraft appeared to lose flying speed and ‘flopped’ into a field, approximately 30 ft short of the runway. The landing gear and cockpit structure were damaged but the pilot was uninjured.
The pilot considered the accident occurred because of his inexperience on the aircraft and that he allowed the airspeed to become too low.
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