Aircraft and Flight Details
On 15 August 2008, at 1105 UTC, a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee (registration G-BYCA) was conducting a solo cross-country navigation training flight from Caernarfon Airport, Gwynedd. The aircraft was powered by a single Lycoming O-320-E2A piston engine and had been manufactured in 1971. The sole occupant was a 46-year-old student pilot with 114 hours of flying experience, including 60 hours on type.
Sequence of Events
The pilot contacted Caernarfon radio and was informed that the active runway had changed from Runway 20 to Runway 26. The reported surface wind was 230° at 13 knots. On final approach to the asphalt runway, the pilot was aware of a crosswind from the left. During the flare, the aircraft began to drift to the right, prompting a go-around. On the subsequent approach, there was no drift, and the aircraft landed without issues.
During the landing roll, the aircraft encountered a large gust of wind, causing it to yaw to the left. The pilot applied right rudder but was physically unable to maintain the input. The aircraft yawed back to the left, and as the pilot attempted to hold the rudder, the heading oscillated with increasing frequency. The aircraft then yawed abruptly left through 90 degrees and departed the runway. As it left the paved surface, the nosewheel passed over a shallow drainage ditch and collapsed. The propeller struck the ground, shock-loading the engine. The aircraft came to rest approximately 10 to 15 meters off the runway. The pilot exited the aircraft uninjured and observed that the wind was gusting 90 degrees to the runway.
Meteorological Conditions
An aftercast from the Met Office estimated the surface wind at 190°–200° at 15 knots, gusting 20 to 25 knots, resulting in a crosswind component of approximately 17 knots. The pilot noted that the aircraft had a crosswind limit of 17 knots, but she lacked the physical strength to hold the required rudder input in the strong crosswind.
Damage
The propeller and cowling were damaged, and the nosewheel collapsed. The aircraft was assessed as damaged beyond economic repair.
Discussion
The pilot encountered a gust of wind near the aircraft's crosswind limit during the landing roll. Her subsequent difficulty in physically controlling the aircraft led to the departure from the runway.