What happened
On 23 June 2020, a Piper PA-32-300, registration G-DIWY, was conducting a private flight from Full Sutton Airfield in Yorkshire to North Coates Airfield in Lincolnshire. The weather conditions were favorable, with clear visibility and light winds. During the final approach to Runway 23, the pilot maintained an indicated airspeed of 89 mph.
While the aircraft initially touched down on the runway centerline, the nose landing gear suddenly collapsed. This failure caused the aircraft to jerk and veer sharply to the left. Despite the pilot's attempts to use right rudder inputs and wheel brakes, the aircraft continued to drift leftward, eventually exiting the mown grass runway at approximately 55 mph. As the aircraft traveled into the adjacent long grass, the left wing struck a large dyke that had been obscured from the pilot's view. The impact with the dyke wall caused the aircraft to yaw heavily and come to a stop. There were four persons on board (one crew and three passengers), all of whom sustained minor injuries.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft and the runway surface following the accident. A post-landing inspection of the runway confirmed that the touchdown occurred on the centerline and that all three wheels appeared to make contact with the ground simultaneously. The landing was not characterized as a heavy impact. The investigation established that the collapse of the nose landing gear was the primary driver of the directional instability. Furthermore, the investigation looked into the airfield's layout, noting that the dyke was not visible to the pilot due to the height of the grass and was not documented on the airfield charts available to the pilot at the time of the flight.