Thursday, July 12, 2012

Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, G-BSOT: February 25, 2012 - West of Swansea Airport

 
Tire marks left on the field where Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, G-BSOT landed.

A plane hit a hedge in a field near Swansea Airport after a spark plug failed mid-air, a report has said. 

The Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk was carrying two crew members on a training flight on February 25 when the incident happened.

A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said the crew heard a loud bang after take- off, followed by "severe airframe vibration and a significant reduction in engine power".

The aircraft touched down without incident in a field, but the instructor was unable to stop it before it hit a boundary hedge. Both crew members were unhurt. The spark plug had come free from one of the cylinder heads.

Summary:   At approximately 400 ft agl, after taking off from Swansea Airport on a training flight, the instructor heard a loud bang followed by severe airframe vibration and a significant reduction in engine power. He elected to make an immediate forced landing in a field. The aircraft touched down without incident, but the instructor was unable to stop the aircraft before it hit the boundary hedge. Both the instructor and student were uninjured and able to evacuate the aircraft unaided. Examination of the engine identified that a spark plug had failed and released from one of the cylinder heads.

Download report:
PDF icon
Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk G-BSOT 07-12.pdf (216.31 kb) 


No comments:

Post a Comment