Incident Details
A Piper PA-28-140, registration G-AYJP, operated as a private training flight, was involved in a ground loop incident at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, on 23 February 1998. The aircraft, manufactured in 1970, was powered by a single Lycoming O-320-E2A piston engine. The sole occupant was a 26-year-old student pilot with a total of 23 flying hours, all on type. The flight was his second solo sortie.
Sequence of Events
Prior to the solo flight, the student pilot had completed eight dual circuits with an instructor on Runway 26. He was briefed to perform a touch-and-go landing followed by a circuit and a full-stop landing. The pilot reported a normal approach with full flap and an approach speed of 85 mph. The mainwheels touched down at the normal point on the runway at about 75 mph with the engine at idle. Before the nosewheel made contact, the right wing lifted, and the aircraft turned approximately 90° to the left, pivoting on the left mainwheel alone. The pilot applied full opposite aileron, but the right wing tip and nosewheel struck the ground firmly. The aircraft came to a stop on the grass to the left side of the runway. The pilot considered that applying power for a go-around from that attitude and heading would have been dangerous and elected not to do so.
Weather Conditions
The surface wind was reported as 270°T at 9 knots. A Met Office aftercast indicated a weak trough of low pressure crossing the area from the northwest at the time of the accident. The surface wind veered to 290°T at 10 knots, with possible gusts to 20 knots with the passage of the trough.
Observations
The instructor, who observed the approach from the Control Tower Visual Control Room, reported that the initial touchdown appeared normal, but the right wing lifted shortly afterwards, leading to a ground loop that ended with the aircraft facing almost the opposite direction. He noted that a wind fluctuation had been observed shortly after the aircraft's takeoff. The instructor indicated that, with the prevailing wind direction, some vortex or rotor might be produced at the runway threshold by upwind hangars.
Damage
The aircraft sustained damage to the right wing tip, nosewheel, and propeller tips. No injuries were reported.