Aircraft and Flight Details
The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-28-181 Cherokee Archer II, registration G-RNCH, serial number 28-8190141, powered by a single Lycoming O-360-A4M piston engine. It was manufactured in 1982. The flight was a private trip from Carlisle to Coleraine, Northern Ireland, with a 60-year-old pilot holding a Private Pilot’s Licence (243 hours total, 180 hours on type; last 90 days: 5 hours; last 28 days: 3 hours) and three passengers on board.
Accident Sequence
On 17 August 2016 at 0800 hrs, the aircraft landed on the grass strip at Causeway Airfield, Coleraine. The pilot reported calm weather and the grass was wet with morning dew, which he noted would reduce braking effectiveness. The left mainwheel touched down first, followed by the right mainwheel and then the nose wheel. The pilot sensed the aircraft tracking leftwards rather than along the runway centerline. He progressively applied more rudder and right brake, but the left wheel entered the long grass at the runway edge. The additional drag from the long grass pulled the aircraft further left. It subsequently ran through a wire fence and came to rest in an adjacent field.
Damage and Injuries
The aircraft sustained damage to the left wingtip, wing leading edges, and the propeller. Neither the pilot nor the three passengers reported any injuries.
Investigation Findings
The aircraft operator reported that no pre-accident defects were identified with the landing gear. The pilot submitted an Aircraft Accident Report Form, which served as the primary source of information for the investigation.