A VINTAGE aircraft owned by a Oxfordshire man crash-landed because of pilot error.

The 1941 Tiger Moth, registered to John Brychan Steel of Great Rollright, was badly damaged after turning upside down on a runway on May 3.

A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said that the pilot – who has not been identified – acknowledged the crash was his fault for failing to set the aircraft’s attitude correctly on landing.

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Both the 59-year-old pilot and his passenger walked away from the crash, which happened at Rendcomb Airfield, near Cirencester, unharmed.

The accident investigation report said: “Whilst landing, the aircraft bounced and flipped inverted, causing extensive damage. The pilot acknowledges that he had failed to set up the aircraft’s attitude correctly on landing.”

The de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane suffered damage to its wings, propeller, fuel tank, rear fuselage and tail fins in the crash.

According to the AAIB report the pilot had a total of 1,748 hours flying experience.

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