SYNOPSIS
The pilot had earlier that day flown with his passenger in a different aircraft to Kilkenny Airfield and then returned to Kilrush. Here, they boarded the Stinson, a vintage “tail dragger” aircraft, with the intention, in the pilot’s words, of carrying out one circuit onto Runway 11. On very short finals, he recalled, an extremely strong downdraught forced his aircraft into the ground, just short of the runway. The ground in question was, in fact, a field of oats over three feet high. The mainwheels dug into the soft ground and the aircraft inverted. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The pilot and passengers exited the aircraft unaided. There was no fire.
