Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga SP, registration G-RIGH, manufactured in 1998 (serial number 3246123). It was powered by a single Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 piston engine. The pilot held a Commercial Pilot's Licence, was 34 years old, and had a total flying experience of 303 hours, with 4 hours on type. In the 90 days prior to the accident, he had flown 20 hours, and 11 hours in the last 28 days.
Incident Summary
On 28 August 2017 at 1016 hrs UTC, during the second flight of the day, the pilot noticed the alternator warning light was illuminated. Attempts to troubleshoot the problem did not resolve it, and electrical systems progressively failed, including engine indications. The pilot briefed the five passengers and elected to carry out a forced landing in a field near Faversham Road, Seasalter, Kent.
Forced Landing and Damage
The touchdown was hard. According to the pilot, the right wheel “stuck in the mud” before the landing gear detached. The damage comprised a detached right landing gear, bent propeller, and skin damage to the right side of the aircraft. Despite the hard landing, there were no injuries to the pilot or the five passengers.
Pilot's Assessment
In hindsight, the pilot stated that he could have landed safely at an airfield but that the number of problems being presented to him restricted his thinking and mental capacity. The AAIB Bulletin references the CAA publication Safety Sense Leaflet 23, 'Pilots – it’s your decision', which provides information on human performance limitations.