Accident Overview
On 9 November 2009 at 1620 UTC, a Piper PA-28-161 Cherokee Warrior III (registration G-CEMD) sustained damage during a precautionary landing at Llanbedr Airport, Gwynedd. The aircraft, powered by a single Lycoming O-320-D3G piston engine, was on a solo training flight. The sole occupant, a 51-year-old student pilot with 55 hours total flying experience (all on type), was not injured.
Flight Details
The student was flying the final leg of a solo qualifying cross-country route from Caernarfon to Haverfordwest and Aberporth, returning to Caernarfon. While passing the town of Barmouth, the cloudbase lowered and forward visibility decreased to the point where the pilot could not see her next checkpoint at Criccieth nor the familiar landmark of the Nebo mast. She declared a PAN, set the transponder to code 7700, and advised air traffic control of her intention to make a precautionary landing on Runway 35 at the disused aerodrome at Llanbedr.
Landing and Damage
During the landing, the aircraft experienced an initial bounce. After the pilot braked, the aircraft veered to the right, departed the runway surface, and entered an area of soft ground. Approximately 10 metres from the runway edge, the aircraft tipped onto its nose and came to a stop. The uninjured pilot shut down the engine, released her lap and diagonal harness, and exited through the cabin door. The accident resulted in damage to the propeller, left wing outer leading edge skin, and wing tip. Additionally, the engine was shock-loaded, and the engine mount and nose landing gear frame were bent.