Date:	Saturday 25 June 2016
Time:	15:25 LT
Type:	Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II
Owner/operator:	Trustee of the GSVEA Group
Registration:	G-SVEA
MSN:	28-7916082
Year of manufacture:	1979
Engine model:	Lycoming O-320-D3G
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	A40, between Abergavenny and Raglan, Monmouthshire, Wales -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Abergavenny (Hardwick) Airfield, Monmouthshire
Destination airport:	Abergavenny (Hardwick) Airfield, Monmouthshire
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The aircraft force landed to the central reservation of A40 road, sustaining substantial damage. The three occupants received minor injuries. No road vehicles were involved. Four fire crews attended the incident.

UPDATE: The official AAIB report into the accident was published on 10-11-2016, and the following is an extract from that report...

"This was intended to be a training flight, with the student conducting the takeoff. After completing the appropriate checks, 10 degrees of flap was set and full power was selected. The pilot released the brakes and commenced the takeoff roll on Runway 33. As the aircraft passed over the crest of a small hill, approximately halfway along the grass strip, it started to veer to the left. The left side of the runway is located close to a line of trees that borders the A40 trunk road and, in the instructor’s words, “there is not much room for error”.

The instructor took control and applied right rudder and aileron in an attempt to steer the aircraft away from the trees. The aircraft became prematurely airborne at around this time and the instructor pitched the nose down slightly and continued the climb, but the left wing started to contact some tree branches. Despite the application of more right rudder and aileron, the instructor felt the wing contact more branches.

His intention was to try to fly the aircraft away into the circuit but the wing continued to contact the trees. Finally, there was a loud bang from the left wing and the aircraft was violently rotated through 180° in a level attitude into the trees; it then exited the trees travelling backwards and landed nose first, right wing slightly down, on the A40 trunk road. The cabin of the aircraft was in the right-hand lane of the southeast-bound carriageway and the tail in the central reservation.

Fortunately, no road traffic collided with the aircraft and the occupants exited the aircraft having received only minor injuries".

=Nature of Damage sustained to airframe=
Per the AAIB report "Substantial" damage sustained. As can seen from the photograph below, the wreckage was seen dumped in the long grass at Little Staughton, Bedfordshire by/on 28 April 2018

1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57ff930f40f0b67138000016/Piper_PA-28-161_Cherokee_Warrior_II_G-SVEA_11-16.pdf
2. https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/G-SVEA/944988
3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-36629540
4. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/plane-crashes-a40-road-front-8280925
5. http://www.pbase.com/denham/image/160754477
6. https://www.itv.com/news/wales/update/2016-06-25/plane-crashes-on-a40-near-abergavenny/
7. https://www.monmouthshirebeacon.co.uk/news/swerving-take-off-cause-of-a40-plane-crash-292576
8. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/pilot-passengers-treated-hospital-minor-11525543
9. https://www.abergavennychronicle.com/news/investigation-into-light-aircraft-crash-on-a40-71814
10. Gwent Police log number 385 25/06/16: https://www.gwent.police.uk/news/gwent/news/
11. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-37947185
12. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-36634649
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A40_road#Abergavenny_%E2%80%93_M50_junctions

This Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II was built in 1979, and first registered in United States as N30299. It was first registered in the UK on 16 December 1998 as G-SVEA. Between December 1998 and October 2009, the aircraft passed through the hands of four owners

After the accident of 25 June 2016, the damaged airframe was taken by road to Farnborough for examination by the AAIB. The wreckage was seen dumped in the long grass at Little Staughton, Bedfordshire by/on 28 April 2018. The registration G-SVEA was cancelled by the CAA (and the airframe de-registered) on 13 May 2019 as "Permanently withdrawn from use"

BREAKING: Emergency services are dealing with a light aircraft which has crashed on the A40 Monmouth Road. pic.twitter.com/VW3kft9wah

— Sunshine Radio (@SunshineRadio) 25 June 2016

We are attending an incident on #A40 Abergavenny to Raglan. Please avoid area due to road closures #SWControl NR

— SW Fire & Rescue (@SWFireandRescue) June 25, 2016

Wreckage of G-SVEA Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II at Little Staughton, Bedfordshire 28 April 2018:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
25-Jun-2016 18:45	Geno	Added
25-Jun-2016 19:29	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
25-Jun-2016 19:50	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Operator, Nature, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
26-Jun-2016 16:44	Aerossurance	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
14-Jul-2016 13:53	Anon.	Updated [Phase]
10-Nov-2016 17:45	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
10-Nov-2016 17:53	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Source]
10-Nov-2016 18:01	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Source]
27-Apr-2024 16:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category]