What happened
On 13 February 2000, a Piper PA-22-160, registration G-APYN, was involved in an accident during a private flight at Lizards Farm Strip in County Durham. Before departing, the pilot had inspected the grass runway surface and confirmed that all necessary signage was correctly positioned. The flight was intended to be a local sortie using runway 33, which was dry at the time. Weather conditions were reported as CAVOK with a surface wind of 300 degrees at 12 knots.
During the early stages of the take-off roll, the pilot observed a car moving on the land adjacent to the runway. Fearing that the vehicle was about to encroach upon the runway area, the pilot elected to terminate the take-off. During the application of brakes to stop the aircraft, the propeller made contact with the ground. This impact caused the aircraft to yaw to the right, resulting in additional damage to the wing.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The examination focused on the sequence of events leading to the aborted take-off and the subsequent contact between the propeller and the ground. The pilot, who held a private pilot's licence and had 196 total flying hours, was uninjured and able to exit the aircraft without assistance.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the pilot's decision to abort the take-off due to the perceived risk of a vehicle entering the runway area.
- The aircraft sustained damage to both the propeller and the wing during the braking maneuver.