What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on null involved a aircraft, registration G-EZYU, at IE.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The pilot's concentration was compromised by simultaneous, unrelated distractions during the flight, leading to a heavy landing.

Heavy Landing Damages Piper Seneca II at Galway Airport

A private flight to Galway Airport ended in substantial aircraft damage after a heavy landing caused by pilot distraction during a technical issue.

What happened

On 16 February 2008, a Piper PA34-200 Seneca II, registration G-EZYU, was conducting a private VFR flight from Bournemouth to Galway. The flight proceeded normally until the aircraft reached the Birr area, where the pilot encountered a technical irregularity involving the left engine. The propeller pitch controller began shifting from a cruise setting of 2300 RPM toward a fine setting of 2600 RPM. During this period, the pilot also observed two screws detach from the engine cowling and disappear.

Distracted by the fluctuating RPM and the missing hardware, the pilot also lost track of his exact position, necessitating radar vectors from Shannon Air Traffic Control to reach Galway. Upon arriving at Galway Airport, the pilot attempted a landing on Runway 08. Air traffic controllers observed the aircraft "porpoising" or bouncing multiple times on the runway. The landing was so heavy that it caused significant structural damage, including a cracked cockpit windscreen and a failure of the braking system. The aircraft subsequently veered off the runway into a grass area. There were no injuries to the two occupants.

The investigation

The AAIU examined the structural damage, which included a pushed-up nose gear frame and a shattered right-hand windscreen. While the investigation could not identify a specific mechanical failure causing the pitch change, investigators noted that the friction control handle in the cockpit was found in the down position. In this setting, the propeller control levers lack sufficient resistance, which could allow vibrations to move the levers of their own accord.

Findings

The primary cause of the accident was the pilot being distracted by three unrelated events—the RPM fluctuations, the missing cowling screws, and the loss of situational awareness—which led to a lapse in concentration during the landing phase.
The pilot's limited experience in multi-engine aircraft operations acted as a contributing factor.
The heavy landing resulted in substantial damage to the propellers, nose gear, and fuselage structure.