History of the Flight
On 21 July 2014, a Piper PA-28R-201T, registration G-BEOH, departed from Gloucestershire Airport on a private flight to Cherbourg. The pilot, aged 68, held a Private Pilot's Licence and had 3,267 total flying hours, with 444 hours on type. The aircraft was refuelled to near-full tanks and pre-flight checks were normal. The takeoff mass was 2,836 lb, just below the maximum of 2,900 lb. Weather was fine and calm.
Takeoff appeared normal with 38" manifold pressure (MP). After raising the landing gear, the pilot reduced power to 33" MP for climb, but perceived a greater power reduction and the aircraft began to sink. He selected full power and the turbo overboost light illuminated briefly. The pilot again reduced to 38" MP, but again sensed power loss. As the aircraft flew at slow speed toward trees near a golf course, about 550 m from the runway end, the pilot switched fuel tanks. The aircraft clipped tree tops, continued across an open area, clipped another tree top about 150 m further, then climbed away. The pilot joined the circuit and landed without further incident. He reported no unusual engine noises or rough running, and normal power returned after the fuel tank change.
Airport Operator's Report
The airport operator reported that the duty ATCO described the takeoff roll as sluggish, and the aircraft climbed slowly until disappearing behind trees, prompting activation of the crash alarm. The aircraft reappeared climbing on a south-westerly heading. Surface wind was 2 kt from 280°, OAT 17°C. Debris from trees confirmed two strike locations.
Technical Investigation
A technical investigation by the aircraft's maintenance organisation focused on the fuel gascolator. Although the unit appeared correctly installed and in satisfactory condition, the gascolator bowl could be rocked fore and aft by hand pressure against the filter housing. With fuel turned on, no leaks were present when static, but rocking the bowl caused fuel to leak freely, indicating an unsatisfactory seal.
Dismantling revealed a distorted upper housing, believed caused by forces from the bail wire assembly over time. This distortion pulled the sealing face out of flat, confirmed by an uneven 'footprint' on the square section seal. Mechanical loads from pre-flight fuel sampling and vibration during operation would have produced leakage, prevented only by excessive seal preload.
The investigation concluded that a combination of the distorted upper housing, vibrations during takeoff roll, and a high fuel flow led to air ingestion into the fuel system, resulting in fuel starvation. Power checks at nominal 2,000 rpm prior to flight would not have revealed the issue due to lower fuel flow.
Damage
The aircraft sustained light damage to the leading edges of the wings and heavy damage to the leading edges of the tail plane.