A pilot and two passengers were slightly injured when their plane hit trees and crash landed on a driveway of house.
The pilot had just taken off on a ‘pleasure flight’ and was climbing over 80ft tall trees at the end of the Yorkshire airfield runway when the Piper aircraft ‘sank’ and struck the trees. The pilot had felt the aircraft clipping the foliage of the treetops, causing a jolt and then a descent.
“The aircraft banked further to the left and pilot directed it through the trees to the only piece of clear space that he could see,” according to an accident report.
“The aircraft came to rest in the garden and on the driveway of a local residence and was destroyed. After completing emergency shutdown procedures, the pilot and passengers were able to exit the aircraft unaided with minor injuries.”
The incident happened near Eddsfield Airfield, Driffield, on June 18, 2024.
In a report, the Air Accident Investigation Branch said: “It is the opinion of the pilot that either a power issue or the gusty wind conditions over the trees were causal factors in the accident. Whilst no evidence was found to explain a loss of power it was noted that there was a possibility of carburettor icing.”
It added: “It is possible that the long taxi along the grass runway, late in the day resulted in a build-up of ice prior to take off. The pilot stated he will give more consideration to gusty wind conditions at low speed and the impact of obstacles such as trees, on the wind in the future.”
Get all the latest and breaking news in Yorkshire by signing up to our newsletter here.