What happened
On 12 May 2018, a Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, registration G-BMVL, was conducting a private flight from Blackpool to Caernarfon Airport. The aircraft was occupied by two people: the pilot in command, seated in the right seat, and a student pilot, who was unqualified to fly the aircraft without an instructor, seated in the left seat.
During the final approach to Runway 25, the pilot in command noted that the aircraft was too high. As the aircraft approached the runway, the pilot in command intervened by reducing power to idle and subsequently took control of the aircraft to initiate a go-around. While the pilot applied full power, the flap lever was not moved from the landing configuration.
The aircraft made contact with the runway approximately one third of the way down the strip and bounced. It then drifted left of the centerline, bouncing twice before exiting the left edge of the runway in a nose-up, left wing-low attitude. After flying over a taxiway and passing between hangars, the aircraft struck the airfield perimeter fence, crossed a public road, and eventually came to rest inverted near a farm building. Both occupants sustained minor injuries.
The investigation
The AAIB investigation utilized the pilot's accident report, CCTV footage, and drone imagery. The investigation established that the student pilot had performed the takeoff from Blackpool and the flight to Caernarfon under the monitoring of the pilot in command.
Investigators examined the flight controls and the sequence of the go-around maneuver. CCTV footage confirmed the aircraft's deviation from the runway centerline and the subsequent flight path. The investigation also looked into the cockpit environment, noting that the pilot in command was a senior colleague of the student pilot.