Date:	Wednesday 16 November 2016
Time:	18:15
Type:	Piper PA-32R-301T Saratoga II TC,
Owner/operator:	Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc Trustee
Registration:	N551TT
MSN:	32-57026
Year of manufacture:	1997
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Category:	Accident
Location:	Blackbushe Airport, Yateley, Hampshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Blackbushe Airport (BBS/EGLK)
Destination airport:	Blackbushe Airport (BBS/EGLK)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
AAIB investigation to Piper PA-32R-301T, N551TT: Landing gear retraction during touch-and-go, Blackbushe Airport, Surrey, 16 November 2016. The incident was the subject of an AAIB Investigation, and the following is the summary from the AAIB Report:

"A training flight, with an instructor, was being undertaken from Blackbushe Airport as part of a night rating qualification. It was dark and raining but the visibility was good and the surface wind was calm.

After a short local navigation exercise, the pilot re-joined the circuit and flew an approach to Runway 25. The runway has a tarmac surface, with a PAPI set at 3.1° for a displaced threshold and a landing distance available (LDA) of 1,059 m.

The pilot carried out a normal touchdown and, while rolling along the runway for a touch-and-go, asked the instructor to raise the flaps. The instructor was surprised by the request but carried out the action. As he did so, the pilot raised the landing gear and the gear unsafe warning sounded. The pilot, sensing the aircraft pitching up, lowered the nose and the propeller struck the ground. The instructor took control, lifted the aircraft into the air, re-selected the landing gear down and, having allowed time for it to lock down, landed on the remaining runway. The engine was shut down immediately and ATC was advised.

The instructor commented that he had not wanted to risk going around with a damaged propeller.

=Damage to airframe=
Per the above AAIB Report "Propeller damaged, engine shock-loaded". The aircraft was repaired and returned to service

Blackbushe Airport (IATA: BBS, ICAO: EGLK) is an operational general aviation airport in the civil parish of Yateley in the north-east corner of the English county of Hampshire. Built during the Second World War, Blackbushe is north of the A30 road between Camberley and Hook, close to the Hampshire.Surrey border, which explains why the AAIB Report states that the airfield is in "Surrey" [sic]

1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/58c921b440f0b67ec80001b1/Piper_PA-32R-301T_N551TT_03-17.pdf
2. FAA: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=551TT
3. Piper PA-32R N551TT at Swansea (EGFH) 2-6-2021: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/001637158.html
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbushe_Airport#Present_day

This Piper PA-32R-301T Saratoga II TC was built in 1997, and was first registered in the USA as N551TT in that year. It has retained a US registration ever since (although the nominated owners have an address in Norfolk, UK). The same aircraft was involved in a landing accident at Compton Abbas Airfield, three miles south of Shaftesbury, Dorset on 16 July 2021 (see separate entry).

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

16 July 2021

N551TT

Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc Trustee

0

Compton Abbas, 3 miles South of Shaftesbury, Dorset

sub

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Apr-2024 06:09	Dr. John Smith	Added
10-Apr-2024 06:10	ASN	Updated [Embed code, Accident report]