Date:	Saturday 11 June 2016
Time:	13:30
Type:	Piper PA-24-250 Comanche
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	G-ARLB
MSN:	24-2352
Year of manufacture:	1960
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Old Buckenham Airfield, Abbey Road, Old Buckenham, Norfolk -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Blackbushe Airport (BBS/EGLK)
Destination airport:	Bedford-Thurleigh Airport (EGSV)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
AAIB investigation to Piper PA-24-250 Comanche, G-ARLB: Severely damaged in a heavy landing, Old Buckenham Airfield, Abbey Road, Old Buckenham, Norfolk, 11 June 2016. The incident was the subject of an AAIB Investigation, and the following is the summary from the AAIB report:

"The aircraft was on approach to Runway 25 in conditions of good visibility and with a light and variable wind. The pilot reported that, at about 20 ft above the runway, he allowed the speed to begin to reduce and began to flare the aircraft. Shortly afterwards the aircraft touched down heavily on its main landing gear and the nose of the aircraft “sank lower than expected”. The propeller hit the runway. The aircraft came to a halt on the runway and the occupants vacated it uninjured.

The creasing on the underside of the left wing indicated that there was a higher-than-normal rate of descent on touchdown. The orientation of the nose landing gear drag-brace (extended and slightly over-centre) indicated that the nose landing gear was locked down during the approach. It was also noted that the nose gear piston broke towards its top which suggested that it broke immediately on touchdown before the piston began to move into the nose gear cylinder under the weight of the aircraft’s nose section".

=Damage sustained to airframe=
Per the above AAIB Report "Propeller blades, lower engine cowl, nose leg, left wing damaged and engine shock-loaded". The damage sustained may have been severe enough to warrant the 1960-built aircraft as "de-registered" by the CAA on 18 November 2016 as "Transferred to another country or authority - United States of America". The aircraft now wears its original (1960) US registration N250DT (and has done since 13 September 2017) - presumably after repairs/rebuild.

1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57ff927440f0b67138000014/Piper_PA-24-250_Comanche_G-ARLB_11-16.pdf
2. G-ARLB History 1961-1964: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ARLB-1.pdf
3. G-ARLB History 1964-1982: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ARLB-2.pdf
4. G-ARLB History 1982-1984: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ARLB-3.pdf
5. As G-BUTL 1984-1997: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-BUTL.pdf
6. https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/G-ARLB/912140
7. https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberResult (N250DT)
8. As G-BUTL: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/G-BUTL.html
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Buckenham_Airfield#Accidents_and_Incidents

This Piper PA-24-250 Comanche was built in 1960, and first registered in the United States as N250DT in 1960. It was first registered in the UK as G-ARLB on 21 March 1961. Between 21 March 1961 and 4 April 1984, this aircraft passed through the hands of ten owners, before being re-registered on 4 April 1984 as G-BUTL.

After 19 years as G-BUTL (passing through two owners) the aircraft reverted to its prior registration as G-ARLB on 19 September 2003. After two further owners as G-ARLB, the registration was cancelled (and the airframe de-registered) on 18 November 2016 as Transferred to another country or authority - United States of America. The aircraft now wears its original US registration N250DT (and has done since 13 September 2017)

NOTE: G-ARLB also sustained damage in an incident on 1 October 2014 when it was involved in a wheels-up landing at Turweston Aerodrome, Buckinghamshire (see separate ASN entry). As G-BUTL, the same aircraft also sustained damage in a landing accident at Lasham, Hampshire on 15 October 1998 (see separate ASN Entry)

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

1 October 2014	G-ARLB	Private	0	Turweston Aerodrome, Buckinghamshire		sub
Gear-up landing

G-ARLB: Piper PA-24 at Blackbushe, Hampshire,3 February 2013:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-May-2024 08:04	Dr. John Smith	Added
03-May-2024 08:04	ASN	Updated [Embed code, Accident report]