What happened
On 1 May 2007, a Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II, registration G-BCVY, was conducting a training flight at Oxford Airport, Kidlington. The flight was part of an initial Instrument Rating test, with a student pilot acting as the commander and a flight examiner present. The aircraft was performing a visual approach to Runway 01 using asymmetric power.
As the aircraft approached the runway, it began drifting toward the left. In an attempt to counteract this drift caused by the crosswind, the student pilot lowered the right wing. However, this maneuver did not successfully manage the rate of descent. The aircraft subsequently made a heavy touchdown on its right landing gear, which was accompanied by significant right yaw. This impact caused the right landing gear to partially collapse, forcing the aircraft to veer off the right side of the runway and onto the grass. No injuries were sustained by the two crew members, and no fire occurred.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight dynamics during the final approach and the impact of the crosswind conditions. The wind at the time was reported as varying between 040º/10 kt and 060º/17 kt. The investigation examined the student pilot's attempt to correct the aircraft's drift via wing lowering and the subsequent landing technique that led to the gear failure.