1967 Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee Accident at Courtelary and Payerne (HB-OWM)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On May 16, 1967, a Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee, registration HB-OWM, was involved in an accident that began during takeoff from the airfield at Courtelary and concluded at the military airfield at Payerne. The aircraft, manufactured in 1964 and imported new, was owned and operated by AéCS, Section Vaudoise, based in Lausanne-Blécherette. It was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A3A engine and featured a fixed landing gear configuration. The aircraft was a low-wing, single-engine, four-seat metal monoplane. The pilot, born in 1926, held a private pilot license and had 103 hours of experience, including 564 landings. He was undergoing transition training on the Piper Cherokee. The instructor, born in 1932, held a professional pilot license and had 2,412 hours of experience, including 16,859 landings. The aircraft's weight and center of gravity were within prescribed limits at the time of the incident.