Pilot ‘lost control’ of aircraft in fatal crash at Duxford Airfield

A pilot who died in a crash at Duxford Airfield last year “lost control” of the aircraft during a rejected landing, an investigation has found.

The 58-year-old was flying alone in a privately-owned General Aviation Cirrus SR22 when it crashed just after 1.30pm on 26 March.

The pilot, an unnamed man in his 50s from Bedfordshire, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A probe was launched by the Air Accident Investigation Branch and it has today (Thursday, 3 April) published its findings.

Investigators found that the accident resulted from a “loss of control in flight at very low level”.

“This occurred during the execution of a rejected landing with a low energy state after the aircraft had bounced on touchdown,” the report explains.

It continues: “The data indicated that the aircraft adopted a sustained high nose attitude with low airspeed, and the aerodynamic effects from the application of power were not contained, resulting in significant yaw and roll to the left. This rolling and yawing persisted until the aircraft struck the ground.”

The report explains that the technique for going around from a rejected landing in this aircraft type involves moving the power lever fully forward, setting flaps to 50 per cent and pitching up initially to an attitude just above the horizon to allow the aircraft to accelerate.

During the accident go-around, the aircraft pitched up to 8.4 degrees before the power was applied, the report states. When power was applied, it coincided with the stall warning and was followed by a further increase in pitch attitude to 13.4 degrees.

Investigators found the nose altitude remained predominantly above 10 degrees for the following four seconds before decreasing as the aircraft descended towards the ground.

The report states that the data indicated that the stall warning was active for all but one of the final nine seconds of flight. The warning included both audio and visual indications, the report continues.

Investigators also found the pilot was “relatively inexperienced” and had not flown for 54 days before the accident.

“At this stage in his flying, the pilot was still consolidating his skills and likely vulnerable to being overwhelmed by unexpected events,” the report explains.

The investigation concluded that: “The accident occurred during the go-around from a bounced landing when the aircraft adopted an excessively high nose attitude during the initial part of the go-around.

“The aircraft’s tendency to yaw and roll left following the application of power was not controlled, causing the aircraft to turn left, and a relatively high nose attitude was sustained during the turn, causing the wing to stall. The rolling and yawing motion continued until the aircraft struck the ground.

“No corrective action was apparent after the initial loss of control, and it is possible that a startle effect degraded the pilot’s ability to respond appropriately.

“Similar accidents have occurred in SR22 and SR22T aircraft even with pilots with higher levels of experience or with instructors on board.

“These occurrences indicate that, irrespective of experience, using the manufacturer’s technique to go around is paramount for the safe operation of the aircraft.”

Two safety recommendations were also made as part of the investigation concerning the provision of clear, conspicuous and unambiguous markings to warn and protect people, who may be unfamiliar with aircraft ballistic parachute systems (BPRS), such as the emergency rescue services and others, from the potential danger.

The recommendations come after the crash highlighted a number of issues concerning the risk of injury to third parties following an accident involving an aircraft fitted with a BPRS.