What happened
On 29 August 2015, a Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, registration G-BWNU, was performing touch-and-go circuits at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire. The weather conditions were favorable, characterized by good visibility exceeding 10 km and scattered clouds at 4,000 ft, with a light wind from the west-southwest.
After completing two standard powered circuits, the pilot opted to execute a glide approach for the third circuit. At approximately 1,000 ft altitude, the pilot closed the throttle and began a continuous turn approach. During this descent, the pilot transitioned through the various flap settings, eventually selecting the third and final stage of flap. As the aircraft approached the runway, the sink rate increased. While the pilot attempted to apply power to compensate, the left landing gear wheel struck a runway threshold light during touchdown. There were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The examination focused on the sequence of the glide approach and the configuration of the aircraft's flaps and power settings. The investigation established that the aircraft sustained damage to the left flap due to contact with glass debris from the broken runway light.