What happened
On 19 July 2003, a Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, registration G-RECS, was performing a private flight at Beverley Airfield, Humberside. While attempting to land on the grass runway 12, the aircraft encountered a surface wind of 220° at 11 knots. As the aircraft crossed the displaced threshold at an altitude of approximately 15 to 20 feet, it experienced a rapid descent and made contact with the ground on all three wheels.
Following this initial contact, the aircraft bounced back into the air in a nose-high attitude. The pilot attempted to initiate a go-around procedure; however, during this maneuver, the right wing lifted and the aircraft veered toward the left. This caused the left wing and the nose to strike the ground. The incident resulted in no injuries to the pilot or the passenger, but the aircraft sustained damage to the engine, propeller, and landing gear.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report form provided by the pilot. The examiner reviewed the sequence of the landing and the subsequent flight path during the aborted landing attempt. The pilot noted that the approach speed may have been insufficient and recalled hearing the stall warning after the aircraft's first touchdown.