A plane’s propellor smashed into the ground after a crash at a Shropshire airfield, investigators have said.
The Air Accident Investigation Branch has confirmed a plane was left stuck in the earth after a landing went wrong at Sleap Aerodrome near Wem.
Sleap Aerodrome is a former RAF site that was used during the Second World War and is one of the county's main airfields for smaller aircraft, with two runways that can be used by pilots.
The accident, which took place in April, involved a Mission M108, a two-seat light sport aircraft that is typically used for shorter flights.
According to the team at the Air Accident Investigation Branch, the issues arose after the plane touched down at the end of its flight.
In their report investigators said the incident occurred when the aircraft was travelling along the ground as part of its “landing roll”, during which it taxis along the runway after the flight.
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At this point investigators said the pilot of the aircraft noticed that the front wheel was moving excessively in what is described as a "nose wheel shimmy".
This phenomenon is known to cause vibrations throughout the airframe of the aircraft.
According to the report this disturbance continued before the before the front landing wheel sheared off entirely.
This left no support for the front of the plane, leading to the nose to fall and for the propellor to hit the ground.
In their report, investigators from the Air Accident Investigation Branch said: “The pilot reported there was excessive nose wheel shimmy during the landing roll, before the nose wheel assembly detached from the landing gear leg.
“The resulting pitch down meant the propellers struck the ground, causing the engine to stop.”
The report does not say whether anyone was injured during the incident.
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