What happened
On 30 June 2009, a Piper PA-28-181 Cherokee Archer II, registration G-EFIR, was conducting a private flight from Leicester to Jericho Farm in Nottinghamshire. The flight, which included the pilot and two passengers, proceeded without incident under favorable weather conditions.
Upon arriving at the Jericho Farm airstrip, the pilot observed another aircraft performing a missed approach. While flying the right-hand circuit for Runway 26, the pilot deployed the final stage of flaps and approached the runway at approximately 73 KIAS. During the landing roll on the narrow farm strip, the pilot noted that the left wingtip was making contact with the surrounding rape seed crop.
As the aircraft progressed approximately 200 metres along the strip, the crop began to accumulate against the wing. This accumulation effectively halted the aircraft's forward momentum and caused it to spin 180 degrees. The resulting motion led to the collapse of the right landing gear, damage to the stabilator, and the ripping of the flap from the airframe. There were no injuries to the pilot or the two passengers, who exited the aircraft via the door.
The investigation
The AAIB examined the circumstances of the landing and the physical damage to the aircraft. The investigation focused on the aircraft's interaction with the high crop on the sides of the runway and the pilot's control inputs during the ground roll. The investigation established that the aircraft's wingspan of approximately 10 metres was significantly wider than the 15-metre width of the airstrip, particularly challenging given the lack of a marked centerline and the presence of high crops on both sides of the runway.
Findings
- The pilot failed to sufficiently account for the narrow width of the airstrip relative to the aircraft's wingspan.
- The pilot did not realize the left wing was contacting the crop early enough to take corrective action.
- The accumulation of the rape seed crop against the left wing caused the aircraft to lose forward momentum and spin.
- The pilot did not apply enough right rudder to counteract the effect of the crop contact.