Great Oakley plane crash sees lucky pilot escape uninjured

The 69-year-old pilot was flying an EAA Biplane G-BPUA before crashing into foliage at the Great Oakley Airfield near Harwich.

The incident has since been investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) after an aircraft accident report form was submitted by the pilot.

The report, which was published last week, said the incident happened on June 3 at 11.25am.

It also noted the pilot has a National Private Pilot’s Licence and had 403 hours of flying experience prior to the crash.

On the incident, the document reads: “Following a stable approach, on flaring to land the aircraft bounced to a height of approximately 6 ft and the pilot decided to go around.

“He applied full power, but the aircraft was slow to accelerate.

“The aircraft bounced twice more, gradually climbing and veering to the right of the runway, before the main wheels struck a crop in a field adjacent to the runway.

“The plane came to rest inverted, and the pilot exited the aircraft unharmed.

“The aircraft sustained structural damage to the landing gear, wings and fuselage tubes.

“The engine was shock-loaded, and the propeller shattered.”

The report also noted the pilot’s observations, adding how he “wished to improve his landing technique”.

The report continued: “The pilot reported the G-BPUA was considered relatively underpowered, and the aircraft was operating close to its maximum take-off weight of 521 kg.

“He calculated the take-off weight to be 511 kg and landing weight 496 kg which could have contributed to the lack of climb performance following loss of airspeed from consecutive bounces.”

It marked the first of three crashes in the north Essex area in the last few months.

A man in his 70s tragically died after a small plane crashed in a village between Halstead and Sudbury last month.

At the weekend, a pensioner and a woman suffered minor injuries after their plane crashed in a field near Braintree. 

The light aircraft had taken off from Southend.