Grumman crashed attending Heveningham Hall Country Fair

Now organisers of the annual Heveningham Hall Country Fair, which takes place this weekend, are implementing "additional operational coordination and risk management measures" to prevent a repeat of the crash involving a Grumman FM2 Wildcat in July last year.

A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), which investigates civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents in the UK, found that the aircraft's landing gear "dug into" a softer sub-soil after touching down before flipping over forwards and ending upside down.

READ MORE: Heveningham Hall plane crash pilot is among 10,000 at fair

Fire crews attended the scene of the Grumman plane crash at Heveningham Hall in July 2023 (Image: Charlotte Bond) The pilot of the carrier-borne fighter was airlifted to Ipswich Hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries, while the plane's rudder was heavily distorted and had detached and the fin had been buckled and compressed.

The windscreen, canopy transparency and frame parts had also detached and were lying beneath the cockpit area, while the left wingtip had hit the ground and become distorted.

READ MORE: Plane crash investigations in Halesworth and Pebmarsh go on

Fuel had also spilled from wing tanks through the filler caps.

The AAIB report revealed that other aircraft, including a Minerva and Focke Wulf, had successfully landed on runway 24 prior to the Grumman which had the registration G-KINL.

Fire crews at the scene of the crash (Image: Charlotte Bond) Another pilot, who witnessed the crash, reported that the Grumman had made a "lovely three-pointer touchdown", but after rolling a further 75 to 100 metres, the tail lifted and the plane continued to roll forward before coming to a rest upside down.

The report described the pilot's recollections of the crash and how he could not understand what was going on.

It said: "The pilot added that, during the initial part of the landing roll, the aircraft 
was going straight and in full control, with the throttle closed.

The aircraft ended up upside down on the runway (Image: Charlotte Bond) "As he could see the ground crew at the end of the runway, he started thinking ahead about taxiing off the runway to the parking position.

"At this point he became aware of the aircraft’s tail coming up. To counter this, he immediately applied full back stick, but the tail continued to rise.

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"He then put both hands on the control column and looked inside to check the position of his feet, which were on the floor, so was not applying braking.

"Not understanding what was going on, he knew he could not stop the tail from rising, as it was happening so quickly and that the aircraft would go on its nose as the aircraft was still doing a reasonable speed.

"As a result, he braced for the impact."

The Heveningham Hall Country Fair is a popular Suffolk event (Image: Newsquest) The report found aircraft that had landed before the Grumman were lighter and had softer tyres, while the crash plane's landing gear was more narrow with a higher pressure.

As the aircraft landed, the weight of the aircraft and the hardness of the tyres compressed the harder upper crust of the runway surface and created a "considerable drag effect" as they continued to roll along the runway.

"This was very similar to the effect of landing in soft sand or icy slush," the report added.

This rapid deceleration, combined with the mass of the engine, which was no longer producing thrust, caused the aircraft to flip over.

Heveningham Hall (Image: Newsquest) In conclusion, the report said the organisers would implement a series of safety improvements, including risk assessments of the runway prior to the country fair.

A suitably qualified and experienced person will also be on hand to coordinate all aviation operations, while firefighting and lifting equipment will be available at the runway as none were present when the crash happened. 

Heveningham Hall, which is owned by property magnate Jon Hunt, has been approached for comment.