Introduction
At 1044 hrs UTC on 1 May 2007, a Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II, registration G-BCVY, was involved in an incident during a training flight at Oxford Airport (Kidlington). The aircraft was performing a visual approach to Runway 01 with asymmetric power, as part of an initial Instrument Rating test. The crew consisted of a student pilot and a flight examiner. The commander held an Airline Transport Pilot's Licence with 9,740 total flying hours, including 2,900 hours on type.
Flight History
The student pilot flew a stable approach with the aircraft's heading offset to the right to compensate for the crosswind component. The wind on the previous circuit had been reported as varying between 040° at 10 knots and 060° at 17 knots. According to the pilot's report, the student aligned the aircraft's nose with the runway axis too soon before touchdown, causing the aircraft to drift left. To correct this, the student lowered the right wing; however, the rate of descent was not controlled. The aircraft touched down firmly, right wheel first, with significant right yaw. This resulted in a partial collapse of the right landing gear.
Damage and Aftermath
The flight examiner took control after the landing gear collapsed but could not prevent the aircraft from veering off the right side of the runway onto the grass, where it came to rest. There was no fire. Both occupants were uninjured. The aircraft sustained damage to the right landing gear, wing, and propeller.