What happened
On 1 November 2007, a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee, registration G-ATMW, was involved in an accident at Hinton-in-the-Hedges. Following an international flight to Belgium, the pilot returned to the UK, intending to land at the unlit Hinton-in-the-HDedges airfield. Due to a delay in the day's schedule, the arrival was planned for night. To assist with the landing, the pilot had arranged for a family member to position a vehicle at the runway threshold using headlights and rearward-facing spotlights to illuminate the area.
During the approach, the pilot observed lights that he believed were the intended vehicle. However, these lights were actually a farm vehicle working in a nearby field. As the aircraft descended to approximately 50 feet, the pilot realized the error and attempted to reposition. During this maneuver, the aircraft's left flap struck a rotating beacon on a fuel bowser, and the aircraft scraped along the bowser's cabin roof. The subsequent heavy impact on the nose caused the nose landing gear to collapse, and the aircraft came to rest with its tail in the air. The pilot sustained one minor injury.
The investigation
The AAIB investigation examined the pilot's flight planning, the aircraft's mechanical state, and the sequence of events leading to the error. Investigators found that the pilot was navigating using a GPS unit that had lost its waypoints, making him uncertain of his position. Furthermore, the investigation noted that the aircraft's fuel gauges were providing conflicting information, leading the pilot to believe the fuel state was critical.
Witnesses from a local flying club, who were nearby preparing for a night flight, observed the aircraft flying at a very low altitude and attempting to land despite the lack of runway lighting. They had even moved a vehicle with runway lights toward the runway to assist with their own flight, which likely contributed to the visual confusion.