AEROPLANES

2 November        

Socata TB-10 Tobago: G-CBGC        In Sea Nr, Cannes Airport, France
Shortly before 20.00 hrs the aircraft disappeared from radar while on a night circuit training flight.  Some wreckage was found in the sea about 4 km SE of the airport.  The pilot, the sole occupant, is missing. (Source BEA Report 2020-0482 in French on internet).

11 October    

Cessna FRA150L Aerobat:     G-CIIR:   Troutbeck Airfield, Cumbria
AAIB Summary: G-CIIR landed at Troutbeck Airfield with its pilot and a passenger without the required permission. As the conditions on the day meant the aircraft’s take-off performance from Troutbeck would be marginal, the airfield owner instructed the pilot to depart solo in order to improve the aircraft’s performance by reducing its take-off weight. On the subsequent take-off the aircraft was seen to depart controlled flight seconds after getting airborne and strike the ground. The pilot was fatally injured. The investigation identified a number of shortcomings with the preparation for the flight that contributed to the accident. (AAIB Bulletin 12/2021).

4th August

Rans S6  Coyote II: G-BUWK: Bradley's Lawn Airstrip, Nr Heathfield, East Sussex
AAIB Synopsis
G-BUWK, a Rans S6-116, took off from Bradley’s Lawn airstrip, East Sussex.  Witnesses then saw the aircraft make a spiral descent to the ground. There was a post-impact fire; the aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was found deceased.  A post-mortem examination indicated that the pilot probably suffered a cardiac event resulting in incapacitation shortly after takeoff.  (AAIB Bulletin 4/2021).   


GYROPLANES

12 November
Rotorsport Cavalon:   G-CKYT:  Nr Avoch, Inverness-shire, Scotland
AAIB Update: Whilst on a general handling flight with a solo student pilot onboard, the gyroplane was seen to descend rapidly from an altitude of approximately 1,500 ft with the rotor head and blades separate from the fuselage. The gyroplane subsequently crashed on farmland and caught fire, with the pilot receiving fatal injuries.  The main wreckage was largely destroyed in the fire, but analysis of the remaining evidence has been possible. The investigation is focused on understanding the circumstances which led to the rotor head separating in flight. Tests on the rotor head are on-going, along with analysis of the limited amount of data which has been recovered from a GPS unit mounted in the aircraft.  Once the investigation has been completed, the AAIB will publish its investigation findings in a final report.   




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