What happened
On 16 October 2009, a Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee, registration G-LFSG, was conducting a private flight when the pilot was notified of a runway change at Caernarfon Airport. Originally intending to land on Runway 02, the pilot was informed that an ongoing incident required the use of Runway 08. This change necessitated a landing approach involving a 12 kt crosswind.
To maintain safe separation from a light aircraft, the pilot extended the downwind leg. During the approach over the sea, the flight path was long and flat. As the aircraft reached the coastline, it experienced a loss of altitude. Despite the pilot increasing engine power and adjusting the aircraft's pitch, the landing gear made contact with the top of a shingle bank. Subsequently, the aircraft struck the airport's barbed wire boundary fence.
While the aircraft successfully reached the runway, the impact caused various structural issues. The incident resulted in no fatalities and no injuries to the pilot or the three passengers on board.
The investigation
The investigation, prompted by the pilot's accident report, focused on the sequence of events leading to the contact with the ground obstacles. Investigators examined the flight path, the impact with the shingle bank, and the subsequent collision with the perimeter fence. The assessment included the aircraft's weight, which was approximately 40 kg below the Maximum Landing Weight at the time of the event.