Silence Twister, G-TWSR, 11 October 2010

Silence Twister, G-TWSR

Summary:

The aircraft was about 5 nm north east of Gloucestershire Airport at 800 ft amsl when the engine began to run roughly. The oil temperature and pressures appeared normal; however, the rough running of the engine worsened with what the pilot described as “lots of mechanical noise”. He decided to make a precautionary landing into a field. During the descent, as the aircraft passed through 700 ft amsl (approximately 570 ft agl), the engine stopped. The aircraft touched down in the field which had been recently cultivated and the mainwheels dug into the soft earth during the landing roll. The force on the landing gear legs bent them backwards and pushed them upwards into the stowed position. The aircraft came to a stop shortly afterwards. Apart from damage to the landing gear mechanism, the aircraft suffered scratches to its underside. The pilot, who was wearing a full harness, was uninjured, and informed ATC at Staverton that emergency services would not be required. A subsequent inspection of the engine revealed damage to the crankcase around the No 4 cylinder.

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Silence Twister, G-TWSR 03-11.pdf (221.21 kb)

Published 10 December 2014