What happened
On 1 May 1999, a Piper PA-28-160, registration G-BSER, was involved in a landing accident at Full Sutton Airfield, York. The aircraft was being operated by a student pilot who was performing his third solo landing of the day as part of a private training flight.
During the approach to Runway 04, the aircraft touched down on soft ground located just before the start of the runway threshold. The impact with the soft surface caused damage to the nose gear leg, the propeller, and the engine mounting. Following the initial touchdown, the aircraft drifted toward the left side of the runway and eventually veered off the paved surface into cultivated ground.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the accident report submitted by the pilot. The weather conditions at the time of the occurrence were noted as having good visibility and light winds originating from the north-east. The pilot, who had 12 hours of total flying experience but no prior hours on this specific aircraft type, identified the primary cause of the incident as an incorrectly judged approach which resulted in the aircraft undershooting the runway.