What happened
On 1 September 2011, a Piper PA-28-151 Cherokee Warrior, registered G-BSCY, was completing a solo navigation training flight. The weather conditions were clear, with a light 6-knot westerly wind. Upon returning to Wellesbourne Mountford Aerodrome, the student pilot performed a landing on Runway 18, which was described as smooth.
Following the touchdown, the aircraft drifted to the right of the runway centerline. As the pilot attempted to correct this deviation, the aircraft veered toward the left. During this maneuver, the aircraft left the paved surface of the runway and struck a fence. The impact with a wire from the fence caused the propeller to contact the fencing, resulting in the aircraft rotating to the right and coming to a complete stop. The aircraft sustained damage to the propeller and the right wing, but the pilot escaped without injury.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events following the touchdown and the physical cause of the aircraft's final halt. Investigators examined the aircraft's path after leaving the runway and the interaction between the propeller and the perimeter fencing. The pilot, who had 32 hours of total flying experience, provided information regarding the landing and his subsequent attempts to maintain directional control.