What happened
On 18 October 2018, a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee, registration G-AYIG, was conducting a private flight at West Wales Airport. The pilot was in the middle of his third circuit and intended to perform a practice forced landing (PFL) on Runway 07, starting from the downwind leg.
Due to observing a rightward drift during previous approaches, the pilot intentionally offset the approach to the left of the runway extended centreline. However, the anticipated drift did not materialize. In an attempt to correct the position, the pilot rolled the aircraft to the right to intercept the centreline. This maneuver caused a more significant response than anticipated, potentially exacerbated by a northerly crosswind lifting the left wing. Consequently, the right wing and propeller struck the runway surface. The aircraft then slewed across the runway, departed the left side, and subsequently rotated back toward the runway, where the left wing made contact with the ground before the aircraft stopped.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the flight path and the pilot's decision-making during the approach. The examination focused on the aircraft's interaction with the runway surface and the impact of environmental conditions, specifically the crosswind, on the aircraft's stability during the corrective maneuver.
Findings
- The aircraft sustained damage to the propeller and nosewheel, along with multiple scrapes on both wings.
- There were no injuries to the crew.
- The pilot admitted to overestimating the impact of the crosswind during the correction.
- The pilot's decision to continue the landing attempt rather than performing a go-around was identified as a significant factor, driven by an overconfidence in his ability to recover the aircraft after it had deviated from the original flight plan.