A 65-year-old unqualified air pilot crashed his plane into a set of goal posts as he practised his skills on some playing fields.
The unnamed pilot was carrying out some test ground runs to find the speed at which his microlight plane took-off after it had its wings altered. As he was doing this the plane became airbourne and crashed into the goal posts.
A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch into the crash stated: “On reaching a speed of approximately 24 mph, the owner felt the wing producing lift and attempted to bring the aircraft to a stop; however, he reported that the foot throttle had stuck in the open position.
“He attempted to pull the ignition kill-switch to stop the engine but was unable to reach it. In attempting to do so he believed he pushed the A-frame forward, causing the aircraft to become airborne. The aircraft subsequently collided with goalposts.”
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said that while a sticking throttle was an issue known to affect the type of aircraft, there was no evidence of it sticking before or after the crash.
The plane, a Pegasus XL-R, was a write-off after the accident on June 12 last year. The pensioner, who had been training for his pilot’s licence, had carried out ground testing at the playing fields before but admitted the crash was probably as a result of poor location choice.
The man suffered a cut chin and was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital.
The AAIB report concluded: “The owner attributed the accident to poor selection of the test site where obstructions existed and his eagerness to conduct the ground runs, rather than waiting until his instructor was available to assist.”