What happened
On 28 October 2017, a Piper PA-25-235 Pawnee, registration G-BCBJ, was involved in a ground accident at Aboyne Airfield in Aberdeenshire. The aircraft was being operated on a private flight. During taxiing from Runway 09N toward Runway 09S, the pilot encountered strong crosswind conditions.
As the aircraft reached the end of the taxiway, a sudden gust of wind caused the aircraft to yaw to the right and pitch forward. In an attempt to maintain control, the pilot reduced the throttle and applied full rearward deflection to the control column. Despite these corrective actions, the tail of the aircraft continued to rise, resulting in the propeller striking the ground. There were no injuries to the pilot, and the aircraft sustained damage to the propeller.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The AAIB examined the sequence of events involving the aircraft's movement under the influence of wind and the pilot's subsequent control inputs.