Ground strike involving a de Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth, South Grafton Aircraft Landing Area, New South Wales, on 30 November 2025

What happened

On 30 November 2025, a de Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth departed South Grafton Aircraft Landing Area, New South Wales, at 1100 local time,[1] for a private flight with only the pilot on board. They departed from runway 26,[2] which was a sealed runway surface. Weather conditions were reported to be CAVOK[3] with a light and variable wind. 

A third party suggested to the pilot that they could consider landing on the freshly mown grass area right of runway 08,[4] on their return to South Grafton. However, the pilot misunderstood the location of the prepared grass landing area. 

The pilot believed that the area available was the mowed grass beside the sealed strip further to the right. However, the prepared grass area being referred to by the third party was in between the sealed runway and that understood by pilot (Figure 1).

Figure 1: South Grafton ALA – sealed and grass areas

Source: Google Earth and operator, annotated by the ATSB 

A normal approach was flown, aligning the aircraft and touching down on the grass parallel to the sealed strip. However, the landing area selected by the pilot consisted of longer, slashed grass, that was not the surface that had been prepared for use. 

This surface caused undesirable ground handling characteristics on landing. The aircraft landed in a ‘2 point’[5] attitude, then subsequently pitched over on its nose and came to rest on its back. The aircraft sustained significant damage to its airframe and propeller (Figure 2). The pilot exited the aircraft with minor injuries.

Figure 2: The aircraft after the accident

The supplied image had low resolution. Source: Operator

Safety message

The conditions of a landing area can change, and the pilot always needs to review the risk and have a high degree of situational awareness of the conditions. 

There was a missed opportunity during taxi to assess the surface conditions and location of the landing area that had not been used by the pilot before. Pilots need to take every opportunity available to prepare themselves with relevant runway conditions.

Landing tailwheel aircraft that have a high centre of gravity can result in a higher likelihood of loss of control during the ground roll, thus placing greater importance on ensuring the runway conditions and surface are appropriate.

If the pilot is not prepared for the landing, or the landing surface does not appear suitable before touchdown, the pilot should consider aborting the landing. This can be achieved by conducting a go-around and is normally the safest course of action if a pilot is not entirely comfortable. 

About this report

Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.