Accident Overview
On 1 July 2008 at 1235 UTC, a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee (registration G-BOSR) operated by a flying school was involved in a ground accident during a solo training flight at Old Sarum Airfield, Wiltshire. The aircraft, manufactured in 1966 and powered by a single Lycoming O-320-E2A piston engine, was conducting circuit training. The sole occupant, a 31-year-old student pilot with 50 total flight hours (37 on type), was not injured. The aircraft sustained impact damage to both wing leading edges, the propeller, and the engine cowling, and was declared beyond economic repair.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft was a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee. The pilot held a student pilot licence and had flown 22 hours in the previous 28 days. He had completed his first solo flight the day before the accident.
History of the Flight
On the morning of the accident, the student flew 17 circuits, of which 13 were solo. After a lunch break, he flew two more circuits with an instructor, who then authorised him for another hour of solo circuit flying. During the takeoff roll on Runway 24 (a single grass runway oriented 06/24), the aircraft veered left. The pilot applied right rudder but reported no response. He reduced throttle and attempted to stop, but the aircraft departed the left side of the runway and collided with a hedge and fence located approximately 50 metres from the runway edge. There was no fire. The ATC operator sounded the crash alarm, and airfield emergency services attended.
Weather Conditions
ATC records indicated that the surface wind was nearly 90° to the runway for most of the day. During a dual flight earlier in the afternoon, the wind was reported as 15 kt gusting 25 kt. When the student commenced his solo takeoff, gusts had apparently subsided; the surface wind was 160° at 15 kt and was passed to the pilot. Based on this, the crosswind component was approximately 2 kt below the aircraft's demonstrated maximum crosswind of 17 kt (as stated in the Flight Manual for takeoff and landing at a tower height of 33 feet). After the accident, when the ATC operator returned to the tower about 20 minutes later, the maximum windspeed indicator registered 32 kt, though the time of this gust was not recorded.
Damage and Witness Observations
Wheel tracks from the aircraft reportedly curved smoothly away from the runway heading. An eyewitness stated that the veer to the left began before the aircraft reached the midpoint of the runway, at an estimated ground speed of 45–50 kt, and that none of the wheels left the ground. The witness considered the aircraft appeared somewhat nose-low during the ground run. The AAIB noted that, with this type of aircraft, excessive load on the nosewheel due to insufficient back pressure on the control yoke can reduce directional controllability.
Contributory Factors
The AAIB reported that difficulties were experienced in obtaining full information from the student or instructor, but it appeared that the crosswind and the pilot's lack of experience in such conditions were significant contributory factors. The reasons for the student being authorised to fly solo in those conditions could not be established.