A Micro Aviation B22 'Bantam' microlight experienced an almost total loss of power while conducting a circuit at a rural airstrip. The pilot tried a forced landing onto the paddock running abeam the airstrip but was unable to reach it, landing short of t he paddock on sloped terrain. The pilot sustained a serious back injury requiring surgery.
The aircraft was significantly damaged.
The pilot said the aircraft had been out of the air for several months and they had been working on it in recent weeks before taking it flying. The pilot reported that an annual check had been conducted on the aircraft in the previous 12 months.
Before the circuit, the pilot had conducted 10 to 12 aborted take-offs on the airstrip to ensure full power could be achieved and to test the engine. When they felt confident the aircraft was running smoothly they decided to conduct a circuit.
It was on this first circuit, and while downwind, that the engine suffered an almost total reduction in power. The engine did not fail entirely but was unable to achieve any increase in power above idle. The pilot reported that the aircraft sank 'like a brick' and that in the final stages, while trying to make it to the paddock, the Bantam had likely stalled and fallen almost vertically causing the pilot's spinal injury.
The pilot's brother said they had observed the pilot taking good care of the engine in the months that the aircraft was out of the air and particularly in the lead up to the flight. The cause of the loss of power could not be determined.