What happened
On 23 July 2012, at approximately 15:30 UTC, a collision occurred at Guernsey Airport involving two Piper aircraft. The first aircraft, a Piper PA-2/8-180 Cherokee, registration G-BBHY, was being prepared for a short private flight. The pilot boarded the aircraft and, because the engine was already warm, performed a hot start. After starting the engine, the pilot began to reduce the throttle to taxi toward a nearby maintenance facility.
During this process, the pilot noticed that the upper portion of the cabin door had become unlatched. In an instinctive reaction to secure the door, the pilot released the throttle and grabbed the door armrest. Because the aircraft was not equipped with toe brakes, the pilot's sudden movement involved pressing the right rudder pedal. This action caused the aircraft to veer to the right, striking the rear section of a stationary Piper PA-28-161 Cherokee Warrior III, registration G-GFTB, which was parked and unoccupied at the time.
Both aircraft sustained substantial damage. The G-GFTB suffered significant damage to its fuselage, while the G-BBHY sustained damage to its propeller, spinner, engine, right wing, and windshields.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's actions and the state of the aircraft's braking system. The pilot reported that he had intended to ensure the parking brake was engaged but either neglected to check it or the mechanism had disengaged. Following the incident, a technical inspection of the braking system on G-BBHY was conducted, which revealed no mechanical faults or defects.
Findings
- The collision was caused by the pilot's instinctive movement of the rudder pedal to secure an unlatched door, which redirected the aircraft's path.
- The pilot's attempt to close the door led to the release of the throttle and the application of the right rudder pedal.
- The aircraft G-BBHY lacked toe brakes, meaning directional control during the incident was dependent on rudder input.
- The parking brake was either not properly engaged or had disengaged during the start-up sequence.