Incident
On 31 July 1999 at 1045 UTC, a Piper PA-28-181 aircraft, registration G-BLYY, was involved in a runway excursion during landing at Huddersfield Crossland Moor. The aircraft, manufactured in 1977 and powered by a single Lycoming O-360-A4M piston engine, was operating on a private flight with only the pilot on board.
Aircraft and Pilot
The pilot, aged 41, held a Private Pilot Licence and had accumulated 152 total flying hours, of which 44 were on type. In the preceding 90 days, he had flown 37 hours, and in the last 28 days, 13 hours. The pilot was wearing a lap and diagonal upper torso restraint.
Landing and Accident
The landing was conducted on Runway 07, which comprises an initial 250 metres of grass followed by 640 metres of asphalt. The surface wind was reported as 090° at 5 knots. The pilot stated that he crossed the threshold at 60 knots and touched down with the main wheels at the beginning of the asphalt section. He kept the nosewheel off the runway until the speed decreased to about 30 knots, then lowered it and applied the footbrakes. With approximately 150 metres of runway remaining, the pilot realised the aircraft would not stop and that there was insufficient distance to execute a go-around. He attempted to use the runway end turning area for additional space, but the aircraft failed to stop and struck an earth bank at the end of the runway at a speed of about 8 to 10 knots. The aircraft then went over the bank and came to rest in a nose-down attitude with the left wing detached.
Outcome
The pilot escaped without injury. The aircraft sustained damage that rendered it beyond economic repair.