What happened
On 20 December 2002, a Piper PA-28-181 Cherokee Archer II, registration G-EFIR, was conducting an instrument flying training flight returning from Le Touquet. Upon arriving over Leicester Aerodrome, the crew decided to perform a local NDB instrument approach for Runway 28. At the time, the weather consisted of a broken cloudbase at 900 feet and visibility of 4,000 metres due to haze.
During the initial approach attempt, the runway was identified at 800 feet above aerodrome level, but the aircraft was deemed too high to proceed, resulting in a missed approach. On the subsequent attempt, the crew sighted the runway at 600 feet, though the aircraft was positioned 0.5 nm north of the runway centerline. To correct this, the pilot attempted to maneuver the aircraft for a landing on Runway 22, executing a left then right turn to realign with the final approach path. During this right-hand turn, the aircraft struck the top of a tree, causing minor damage to the right wing and the right elevator. There were no injuries to the two crew members or the single passenger on board.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report form provided by the pilot. The examiner reviewed the flight maneuvers and the decision-making process regarding the approach. The instructor on board provided context regarding the training objectives, noting that the intent was to expose the student to the challenges of landing in degraded visibility conditions.