Incident Overview
On 19 March 2011 at approximately 1515 UTC, a Piper PA-25-260 Pawnee (registration G-DSGC, serial year 1969) operated as a private flight sustained damage during landing at North Hill Airfield in Devon. The aircraft was equipped with a single Lycoming O-540-G1A5 piston engine. The sole occupant, the pilot, held a Private Pilot’s Licence and was 74 years old with 461 total flying hours, including 64 hours on type. His recent flying experience comprised 3 hours in the last 90 days and 3 hours in the last 28 days.
Sequence of Events
The pilot had just completed his fifth aerotow of the day and was approaching Runway 26 for landing. As he flared, he sensed the onset of a stall and therefore opened the throttle to reduce the aircraft's descent rate. The aircraft then landed, bounced, and subsequently touched down heavily in a wings-level attitude. Immediately after touchdown, the pilot felt the aircraft drop to the right, and it came to rest in a right-wing-low attitude.
Damage and Aftermath
Upon exiting the aircraft, the pilot discovered that the right main landing gear strut had been displaced to one side. Despite this damage, the pilot was able to taxi the aircraft clear of the landing strip. The pilot reported no injuries. The nature of damage was limited to the right main landing gear strut.
Information Source
The details of this incident were derived from an Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot to the UK AAIB.