Accident Details
On 5 December 2017 at 1130 UTC, a Piper PA-28R-200 Cherokee Arrow, registration G-RACO, was involved in an accident at Manchester/Barton Airport. The aircraft was on a training flight for a type conversion, with a student pilot and an instructor on board. There were no passengers. Both crew members were uninjured.
Aircraft and Crew Information
The aircraft, manufactured in 1975, was powered by a single Lycoming IO-360-C1C piston engine. The commander, aged 74, held a Private Pilot’s Licence and had 1,441 hours of flying experience, none of which were on the PA-28R type. His recent flying included 2 hours in the last 90 days and 2 hours in the last 28 days. The commander had previously flown Focke-Wulf P.149 and Yak-55 aircraft, both of which have higher seating positions than the PA-28R.
Sequence of Events
During the first circuit of the training flight, the pilot configured the aircraft for landing and maintained a small amount of throttle after crossing the threshold. On flaring, the pilot realised he was too high and, following the instructor’s direction, lowered the nose. The aircraft then pitched nose-down abruptly and struck the grass runway. The nose landing gear collapsed, and the wing structure deformed around the main landing gear mounts. The propeller was also damaged.
The pilot assessed that the aircraft stalled during the flare, causing the abrupt pitch down. The instructor considered that the pilot’s forward input was too pronounced, leading to the sudden nose-down movement. The instructor stated it was not possible to react in time to prevent the accident. Both the pilot and the instructor believed that the pilot’s extensive experience on aircraft with a much higher seating position contributed to the high flare.
Damage and Injuries
The nature of the damage included a collapsed nose landing gear, a damaged propeller, and deformation of the wings around the main landing gear mounts. No injuries were reported among the crew.