What happened
On 22 February 2003, a Piper PA-25-235 Pawnee, registration G-BUXY, was involved in a ground accident at The Park, Kingston Deverill. The aircraft was being used for glider towing operations, having already completed eleven successful flights earlier that day.
Following a successful landing with a 130°/15 kt wind, the pilot began performing post-landing checks while taxiing at a walking pace. During this process, the pilot set the elevator trim to the full nose-up position. As the aircraft initiated a left turn to backtrack toward the glider launching area, the tail began to lift as it turned into the wind. The pilot managed to reduce the throttle before the propeller made contact with the ground, resulting in a broken propeller.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's configuration and the environmental conditions at the time of the incident. It was established that the pilot had set the elevator trim to a full nose-up position during the taxiing phase. As the aircraft turned through approximately 100°, the tail section lifted due to the wind direction relative to the aircraft's heading. The investigation also noted the pilot's experience level and the specific flight conditions, including the 15-knot wind.
Findings
- The accident occurred while the pilot was performing post-landing checks during a slow-speed taxi.
- The aircraft was operating in a quartering wind.
- The primary cause was the selection of full nose-up elevator trim combined with the aircraft turning into the wind, which caused the tail to lift.
- The pilot's decision to hold the stick back while turning into a wind from behind contributed to the tail-up condition.