Aircraft and Flight Details
The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, registration G-BODS, serial number 38-79A0410, manufactured in 1979. It was powered by one Lycoming O-235-L2C piston engine. The flight was a training sortie with two crew (instructor and student) and no passengers. The commander held a Private Pilot’s Licence, was 50 years old, and had 383 total flying hours, including 9 hours on type. In the 90 days preceding the accident, he had flown 1 hour; in the 28 days, also 1 hour.
History of the Flight
On 5 June 2014 at approximately 1205 UTC, the instructor, who had recently received his instructor rating, had attended an interview and check flight in a PA-38 earlier that morning for a flying instructor position. He was offered and accepted the position and was asked to fly with a student in the afternoon.
During the second circuit, the student had difficulty maintaining the approach speed of 65 knots. As the aircraft passed over the numbers identifying Runway 24, engine power was reduced to idle, and the flare was executed slightly high. Airspeed decayed rapidly, resulting in a hard touchdown. The aircraft then bounced and drifted to the left of the runway.
The instructor took control, applied full power, and initiated a go-around while attempting to correct the left drift. The instructor reported a crosswind of 10 knots from approximately 10° to 15° to the right of the runway heading. Despite checking that the carburettor heat control was fully in and applying right aileron and rudder, he could not correct the drift or gain sufficient airspeed to enable the aircraft to climb out of ground effect.
The aircraft subsequently struck a hedge on the airfield boundary that ran along the side of the runway. Both the instructor and student were uninjured.
Damage
The nose landing gear leg was forced backwards during the impact, damaging the engine mounting frame. The propeller and the leading edge of the wing were also damaged.