Date:	Saturday 23 April 2016
Time:	09:30
Type:	Piper PA-30-320 Twin Commanche B
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	G-ATXD
MSN:	30-1166
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	None
Category:	Serious incident
Location:	RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	White Waltham Airfield (EGLM)
Destination airport:	Fairford RAF Station (FFD/EGVA)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
AAIB investigation to Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche, G-ATXD: Landed at the wrong aerodrome, RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, 23 April 2016. The incident was deemed to be serious enough to warrant an AAIB Investigation, and the following is the summary from the AAIB Report:

"The pilot visited Kemble regularly, and knew the aerodrome well. His usual route to Kemble was via Fairford, where he habitually changed frequency from Brize Radar to Kemble Information. On this occasion, he routed via Farringdon and changed frequency there, advising Kemble that he would join right-hand downwind for Runway 08. He saw the runway at Fairford, and mistook it for Kemble; it was on approximately the same bearing, and at the same distance, as Kemble is from Fairford. The pilot stated that this triggered a false hypothesis based on expectation, and he was so sure that the runway was Kemble that he did not check that he was in the correct place. He added that he was also distracted by his passengers, to whom he was explaining the pre-landing checks and procedures.

The pilot realised his mistake immediately on touchdown, completed a safe landing, and informed Kemble of his error. He considered this “a classic case of confirmation bias”, and that joining downwind had deprived him of the opportunity to realise his mistake in the overhead".

=Damage sustained to airframe=
Per the AAIB report "none"

1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57ff937640f0b6713500000a/Piper_PA-30_Twin_Comanche_G-ATXD_11-16.pdf
2. G-ATXD History 1966-1973: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ATXD-1.pdf
3. G-ATXD History 1973-1984: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ATXD-2.pdf
4. https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/G-ATXD/912242
5. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N8053Y
6. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/G-ATXD.html
7. https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/g-atxd
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Fairford#21st_century

This Piper PA-30-320 Twin Commanche B was built in 1966, and was first registered in the United States a N8053Y, probably for test flying and delivery purposes. It was first registered in the UK as G-ATXD on 17 July 1966, and has passed through the hands of 12 owners between July 1966 and November 2022. As at 16 August 2023, the aircraft had accumulated a total of 5769 flying hours on the airframe

Piper PA-30-320 Twin Comanche B, G-ATXD at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire (BBS/EGLK) 14 February 2020

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
25-Apr-2016 18:48	gerard57	Added
29-Apr-2016 14:40	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Location, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative]
03-May-2016 15:01	Anon.	Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Damage]
08-Sep-2016 14:00	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport]
04-May-2024 11:28	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category]
04-May-2024 11:29	ASN	Updated [Accident report]