What happened
On 19 June 2024, a Piper PA-2-140, registration G-BAXZ, was performing a private flight from Little Gransden to Skegness Airfield. The weather conditions were favorable, with light winds. Following a normal landing on the grass runway, the aircraft began to veer toward the left approximately 100 metres after touchdown. The aircraft left the mown portion of the runway, entered long grass, and subsequently entered a drainage ditch.
The aircraft struck the far side of the ditch at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The impact caused the nose and right main landing gear to collapse and resulted in significant deformation of the fuselage. Both the pilot and the passenger were rendered unconscious by the impact. The pilot sustained serious injuries, including fractured vertebrae and head trauma, while the passenger sustained minor injuries.
The investigation
The AAIB examined the aircraft and the accident site. Investigators found that the impact had distorted the passenger compartment to the point that the overwing door could no longer fit its frame. The door stay was broken, and the upper locking pin had been pulled from the frame.
While both occupants were wearing three-point seatbelts, the investigation noted that the passenger's seatbelt buckle required more force than usual to engage properly. An assessment by a salvage organisation found no mechanical or technical faults with the aircraft that could explain the loss of directional control. Furthermore, the pilot could not recall the sequence of events from the final approach onwards, and the aircraft was not equipped with any recording devices.
Findings
- The aircraft veered left after touchdown, leaving the runway and entering a drainage ditch.
- The impact with the ditch caused the collapse of the landing gear and structural damage to the fuselage.
- The pilot's head struck the instrument panel during the lateral movement of the aircraft.
- It remains undetermined why the aircraft departed the runway, as no technical faults were identified and no flight data was available.
- The passenger's position partially outside the aircraft suggests the seatbelt may not have been fully secured or may have failed under the load of the impact.