Incident Overview
On 7 June 2004 at 1059 hours UTC, a Piper PA-28-161 Cherokee Warrior II, registration G-BUIJ, operated as a private flight, experienced a loss of directional control during the landing roll at Payden Street strip near Ashford, Kent. The aircraft veered left and entered the bordering crops. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. An examination of the aircraft revealed damage to both wings, the right main landing gear, and the nose gear.
Flight Details
The pilot had earlier flown from Blackbushe Airport to Maypole Farm strip, approximately 2.5 nautical miles SSE of Herne Bay, Kent. From there, he telephoned the owner of Payden Street strip to request permission to use the strip. The owner granted permission but cautioned the pilot about the narrowness of the strip and that it was bordered by oil seed rape plants. The pilot noted that the strip orientation (approximately 200° magnetic) was into the prevailing wind at Maypole Farm, and with a distance of only 16 nautical miles, he considered the weather conditions favourable.
Landing and Sequence of Events
The flight to Payden Street initially proceeded without incident. After some difficulty locating the strip, the pilot positioned the aircraft to a right base approach. A windsock indicated the wind was blowing directly down the strip at an estimated 10 knots. The final approach was slightly high, but given a landing distance of approximately 1,000 metres and buildings short of the threshold, the pilot continued. Touchdown occurred an estimated 200 metres into the strip. The initial landing roll was normal, though the surface was rough. Approximately 400 metres into the strip, as the pilot was about to begin braking, the aircraft veered violently to the left. The pilot had no time to correct the swing, and the aircraft entered the crops at approximately 90° to the landing direction, travelling sideways. It came to a halt with the forward section in the crops and the rear section over the strip.
Aircraft Damage
An examination showed the left wing tip bore damage and witness marks consistent with an initial contact with the crops. The right wing sustained more extensive damage, including distortion of the upper skin. The right tyre was ripped from the rim, and the nose oleo suffered damage consistent with the sideways motion of the aircraft.
Pilot Observations
At the time of the incident, the crops on each side of the 12-metre-wide strip were between 4 and 5 feet tall; the wingspan of the PA-28 is 10.67 metres. The pilot considered it possible that the aircraft drifted left during the landing roll, allowing the left wing tip to contact the crops and initiate the swing. He noted that he had previously operated into strips bordered by wheat without difficulty. Although aware that the crop in this case was oil seed rape, he had not appreciated that this crop was much more robust and therefore presented a greater hazard.
The Civil Aviation Authority's General Aviation Safety Information Leaflet (GASIL), Number 4 of 2003, reminds pilots that unlicensed strips and aerodromes are not obliged to conform with the stringent regulations applied to licensed aerodromes, including those applicable to runway dimensions.