Pilot died after plane took off and hit tree

A plane crash in which a pilot died after taking off solo from a private airfield was likely to have been caused by a low lift-off speed, a report has found.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found the crash happened on the pilot's second flight in the aircraft, a modified Piper PA18-150 Super Cub, from Defford Airfield in Worcester last August.

In his first flight at the airfield, also known as Croft Farm Airstrip, the pilot had flown with an instructor in the front, investigators said.

The plane hit a tree, crashed and caught fire, leaving the 65-year-old man with injuries that were not survivable, the AAIB said.

Investigators said, within two seconds of getting airborne, the plane was in a left turn heading towards obstacles.

Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft take a steep nose-up direction, but said it was not able to climb above a tree.

The plane appeared to hit the tree and then made a steep descent, nose-first, into the ground, investigators were told.

Twigs were found caught in the tail wheel showing the flight path and the height when the plane hit the tree.

"The investigation considered it likely the relatively low lift-off speed… contributed to the pilot having insufficient aerodynamic control," the report said.

The pilot had more than 1,500 hours of experience in non-commercial flying and had regularly flown from Croft Farm, it added. He did not have underlying medical issues.

Investigators were unable to find any evidence of pre-accident faults with the plane and the weather had been good, with no low cloud.

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