Date:	Saturday 8 August 1964
Time:	day
Type:	Piper PA-24-250
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	G-ARFY
MSN:	24-2035
Year of manufacture:	1960
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Cork Airport, County Cork -   Ireland
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Cork Airport, County Cork, Ireland
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Fatal accident at Cork, County Cork, Ireland. Per report in "Flight International" magazine 16.6.65:

"Comanche Accident at Cork The report has now been published of investigations into the accident at Cork Airport last August 8 involving Piper Comanche G-ARFY, in which the private pilot, Mr James Coupe, and three passengers were killed. The aircraft had taken off normally at the start of a local flight when, at about 100ft, a stream of black smoke was seen issuing from below it.

The pilot called the control tower and said he wished to "cut back to the field." As the Comanche was being positioned for an approach the smoke appeared to get thicker; during a steep turn it ceased and the engine stopped or lost power completely. The aircraft slipped out of the turn and crashed.

The inspectors considered loss of control during the turn to have been the probable cause of the accident, though engine malfunction as a result of an over-rich mixture was adduced as the contributory cause. All the sparking plugs were found to be heavily sooted and some badly oiled. On dismantling of the carburettor the mixture control was found stuck in the rich position and very difficult to operate; and the accelerator pump delivery restriction valve was stuck open by foreign matter. The air intake was badly crushed by the impact and it was not possible to determine if the vanes had been removed in accordance with Piper recommendations"

Registration G-ARFY cancelled 8.8.64 as "destroyed", although the official CAA record adds "notified 12.1.65"

1. http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-ARFY-2.
2. https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1965/1965
3. https://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/f-86.html
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/100: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070110 (Irish AAIB report)
5. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/101: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070111
6. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/102: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070112
7. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/103: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070113

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
01-Aug-2009 23:51	VHKDK	Added
22-Jul-2012 15:38	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
22-Jul-2020 21:49	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative]