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Christchurch and District Model Flying Club
Sloping Off - our newsletter

FINDINGS OF THE BOARD OF ENQUIRY CONVENED ON 1 JUNE 2020 AT CHRISTCHURCH TO INVESTIGATE THE CRASH OF SPITFIRE MK XIV, SQUADRON LEADER PRUNE COMMANDING.

The Board interviewed the pilot (who was also the builder) immediately after the incident. He claimed that there had been a loss of signal between his transmitter and the receiver, causing loss of control of the model resulting in a spin and descent into woodland. The pilot retreived the fuselage of the model but assumed that the wing and tail section was missing, believed lost. He also claimed that he had been using a new transmitter and there may have been some issues with binding that he had missed.

A few days after the accident the Board was handed the tail section of the model,  which was recovered complete by a family member of a model flier. The tail was found some way from the site of the crash, and was intact, with no witness marks. The model’s wing has not been found despite a second search of the area. It contains two servos but no other hardware of value.

The Board then interviewed witnesses and examined the ground, the remains that were accessible and carried out a post-mortem on the structure, in particular the tail section and the rear of the fuselage. This examination found that there was only a fraction of the tailplane that had any glue still adhering to it, and the rear of the fuselage was also deficient in glue residue.

The findings of the Board are that the tail of the aircraft became detached in flight causing irretrievable loss of control. This was due to inadequate glueing of the tailplane to the rear fuselage. There was no evidence of loss of signal or other malfunction. The Board noted that this model was the second Spitfire to be crashed by the pilot (although he had been absolved of responsibility for the first crash by a Board of Enquiry sitting in Canada) The Board refers the pilot/builder to the Station Commander for action.

Evidence is attached

The tail section after removal of the elevators for test purposes

The underside of the tailplane showing the lack of glue witness marks

The rear of the fuselage. The marks where the tailplane was supposed to be attached can clearly be seen

The fuselage after testing to destruction byt the Board. No weaknesses were found, other than those caused by the descent of the model through the trees and the removal of the wing by the crash.

 The replacement model is to be a Seafire 46. Progress is noted below. The canopy is a stock item from Vortex Vacforms and the model is based on a 200% enlargement of the West Wings Spitfire 22/24 plan. The motor (Park 480) and speed controller were recovered from the crashed model and the Board recommends that this be taken in mitigation by the Station Commander.

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