What happened
On 27 March 2009, a Piper PA-28-161 Cherokee Warrior II, registration G-BPDT, was involved in a ground accident during a training flight at Jersey Airport. While taxiing toward Runway 27, the aircraft had been cleared to line up from holding point ‘G’. As the pilot proceeded forward, the left mainwheel moved off the paved surface and onto a grass area adjacent to the taxiway.
Although the grass was level with the concrete, the wheel sank into a gap between taxiway ‘A1’ and taxiway ‘G’. In an attempt to regain momentum and return to the paved surface, the pilot applied power. This caused the aircraft to veer to the left, and the resulting stress caused the left main landing gear torque link to break. The pilot subsequently shut down the engine and requested assistance from the airport fire service.
The investigation
Following the incident, the aircraft was moved to the flying club area with the assistance of the airport fire service and a local maintenance engineer. The investigation focused on the condition of the taxiway surface at the point of the incident. It was determined that the area where the wheel became stuck was a 'gusset' between the two taxiways.
Findings
- The aircraft's left mainwheel left the paved surface and entered a grass area that was flush with the concrete.
- The wheel became embedded in the area between taxiway ‘A1’ and taxiway ‘G’.
- The application of power to extract the aircraft caused the torque link to fail.
- Following the accident, the airport authority addressed the surface issue by filling the area with a substantial amount of sand.