Spitfire Mk 26, G-CEPL, 19 July 2009
Spitfire Mk 26, G-CEPL
Summary:
During the kit-built aircraft’s first test flight, following a two year period of construction, the engine seriously overheated and failed, and the right landing gear failed to deploy for the landing. The engine failure resulted from an incorrect setting of the carburettors, resulting in a too lean fuel/air mixture, and the landing gear failure to deploy occurred because the uplock pin could not be withdrawn, most probably due to it being a tight fit in the receptacle in the leg. This accident was investigated fully by the LAA, with particular emphasis on overall project management, during both the build stages and during the lead-up to the first flight, as well as the conduct of the flight itself. The outcome of their investigations, and lessons drawn from it, form the basis of a case study published in an article the November 2009 issue of the LAA’s “Safety Spot”, to be found on-line at:
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