MJ-5 Sirocco #122 - G-AZOS

 Ce Sirocco a été construit par M. O. Smith, et fut le premier de ce type en Grande Bretagne. Il est alors équipé d'un train fixe et d'un moteur Lycoming O-290 de 140 cv (MJ-5 F1).

Le 26 août 1974, un arrêt moteur en voltige l'oblige à un atterrissage en campagne qui se termine par un fauchage du train et de l'hélice sur sol meuble. Le pilote sort indemne.

Il est reconstruit en 1975 pour devenir successivement la propriété de R. Wells puis Bruce Dixon (1989 ?). Le moteur est changé à une date inconnue pour un Lycoming O-320_E2A de 160 cv (MJ-5 H1).

En juin 2002, l'avion est toujours en état de vol (PFA Cranfield) et semble être basé sur le terrain de Sleap.

Le 25 aout 2003, l'avion avec 2 occupants est victime d'un accident sur le terrain de Knockin près de Oswestry (Shropshire) qui ne fit pas de blessé. A l'atterrissage à faible vitesse, l'avion a décroché sur une aile lors d'une remise de gaz. Ont été endommagés : empennages, hélice, fuselage, train et ailes.

Qui peut nous en dire plus ?

 This Sirocco was the first built in UK in the early seventies. Powered by a Lycoming O-290 with 140 hp (MJ-5F1) and a fixed gear.

August 26, 1974, the engine stopped during aerobatic and the plane landed losing the gear and propeller. The pilot had no injuries.

She's rebuilt in 1975 and owned successively by Mr R. Wells, then Bruce Dixon (1989?). The engine became Lycoming O-320 E2A with 160 hp.

June 2002, the plane is seen at Cranfield PFA Rally and based at Sleap.

August 25, 2003, the plane with two crew members had an accident at Knockin Airstrip near Oswestry, Shropshire. Damage to: empennage, fuselage, tip and leading edge of left wing, right wing, landing gear and propeller. The 43 years old pilot (1,026 hours of which 29 were on type) and the passenger had no injuries.

Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot:

History of the flight
The pilot and his passenger were on a local area flight from Sleap Airfield and they intended to land at Knockin Airstrip. The pilot was familiar with the airstrip at Knockin which is aligned 10/28 and has a length of 650 metres. He deliberately kept the aircraft high during the approach in order to provide clearance from a set of electricity wires located two fields short of the Runway 10 threshold. Once clear of the wires, he put the aircraft into a sideslip in order to lose sufficient height by the threshold. He then flared and "held off" the aircraft in order to make a three-point landing. The pilot estimated the speed reduced from about 80 KIAS during the approach to 65 KIAS at touchdown.

The mainwheels touched down on an undulation of the runway surface and the aircraft bounced becoming airborne again. The pilot stated that the bounce was not excessive, but, since he was unsure how much of the strip's length would remain after the next touchdown, he decided to go around. He applied full power but the left wing stalled and dropped. Despite the application of right rudder he was unable to stop the left wing contacting a hedge running along the edge of the strip. This caused the aircraft to ground loop through 450° with the propeller also hitting the hedge. At that point the pilot closed the throttle and the engine stopped. The aircraft came to rest upright and across the strip at 90° to the centreline with both the pilot and passenger uninjured. After shutting down the aircraft they were able to vacate the cockpit unaided.

Analysis
The pilot stated that in an attempt to make a good three-point landing he had let the airspeed reduce too much, which left him close to the stall at the moment when he attempted to go around. Holding the aircraft just above the ground in order to attain the three-point attitude before touching down also meant he had landed further into the strip than he would have liked. In hindsight, he thought he should have maintained a slightly higher airspeed and aimed for a firmer touchdown nearer the threshold. However it was unfortunate that having made the proper decision to go around, the aircraft had come into contact with the hedge.

Who could send us more information or pictures?