What happened
On 17 August 2016, a Piper PA-28-181 Cherokee Archer II, registration G-RNCH, was conducting a private flight from Carlisle to Coleraine, Northern Ireland. The aircraft was carrying the pilot and three passengers.
Upon arrival at Causeway Airfield, the pilot performed an approach and landed on the grass runway. The pilot noted that the weather conditions were calm, but the grass surface remained wet from morning dew. During the landing roll, the left mainwheel made contact with the ground first, followed by the right mainwheel and the nose wheel.
As the aircraft decelerated, the pilot observed the plane tracking toward the left side of the runway. Despite attempts to correct the direction using increased rudder input and right brake application, the left wheel had already transitioned into the long grass bordering the runway. The resulting drag caused the aircraft to veer further left, eventually breaching a wire fence before coming to a halt in a nearby field. There were no injuries to the four occupants. The incident resulted in damage to the propeller, the wing leading edges, and the left wingtip.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the environmental conditions and the aircraft's mechanical state. The operator confirmed that there were no known defects regarding the aircraft's landing gear prior to the flight. The pilot acknowledged that the wetness of the grass was a known factor that would increase the required braking distance.