Plane crashed into fence at Northumberland airfield

A plane crashed into a fence last November at a Northumberland airfield, after only rising up to 20ft in the air. The aircraft (DHC-1 Chipmunk) slid down on a hill slope and crashed into a neighbouring fence after it suffered issues during take-off. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch released a report of the incident earlier this week.

The Aircraft

The aircraft is a DHC-1 Chipmunk, a small two-seater, single-engine primary trainer aircraft, and it had been listed under the name of a private owner.

It was understood that though at the moment the plane privately used, it had been built in 1951 for the use of the Royal Air Force. The aircraft’s final destination at the end if the incident had been an Ewesley Airfield near Rothbury, Northumberland.

Investigation Results

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch released the report of the November incident earlier this week. Due to the plane’s private ownership, the report only briefly details the events.

The organisation does not report any injuries, nor does it state any damage suffered by the aircraft itself. The report details the aircraft’s 20ft climb into the air, which was followed by a partial power failure. The pilot’s decision to immediately land the plane ended up leading, inevitably, to the encounter with the fence.

This is not the aircraft’s first such incident. Five years ago, in December 2021, it suffered damage to its wing, again caused by a fence, after an engine malfunction.

What do you think of this airplane’s history of incidents? Let us know in the comments!