Factual Information
On 12 July 2018, at 10:17 local time (LT = UTC+2), a Piper PA-28-181 aircraft, registration HB-POX, operated by Albis Wings, was involved in an accident during landing at Hausen am Albis airfield (LSZN). The pilot, a Swiss national born in 1947, held a Private Pilot Licence (PPL(A)) issued by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (BAZL). He had accumulated 464 total flight hours, with 245 hours on type, and only 2 hours in the preceding 90 days. The flight was a training session conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). The pilot had previously completed a training flight on 21 June 2018 with an instructor to renew his class rating, and on the accident day, after five supervised circuits, the instructor deemed his performance satisfactory and allowed him to fly solo circuits.
The pilot departed at 09:54 on runway 27 and performed three touch-and-go landings. The fourth circuit was intended to be a full-stop landing. According to the pilot, the touchdown was normal. However, during the rollout and braking, the aircraft overran the right edge of the runway, executed a nearly 180° right turn, and came to rest against a fence. The left wing and propeller were damaged, and the fence was lightly damaged. The pilot was uninjured; no passengers were on board. The accident was classified as a loss of control during landing.
Findings
The weather at the time was practically cloudless with a light wind of 5 knots from the northwest. No pre-existing technical defects were found that could have caused or contributed to the accident. The aircraft was in technically sound condition.
Analysis
Given the technically flawless aircraft and the unremarkable weather conditions, the investigation determined that the reason for the loss of control must lie in the operational area. The pilot's relatively low recent flying activity (only 2 hours in the previous 90 days and 2 hours on type) may have been a contributing factor. The report noted that this low training currency could have favored the occurrence.