Date:	Monday 30 May 2016
Time:	16:50
Type:	Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	G-NHRH
MSN:	28-22807
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	Compton Abbas Airfield, Shaftesbury, Dorset (EGHA) -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Dunkeswell Airport (EGTU)
Destination airport:	Compton Abbas Airport (EGHA)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
AAIB investigation to Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee, G-NHRH: Written off (Damaged beyond repair) when nose landing gear collapsed on touchdown, Compton Abbas Airfield, Shaftesbury, Dorset, 30 May 2016. The incident was the subject of an AAIB Investigation, and the following is the summary from the AAIB Report:

"Earlier in the day the pilot flew his aircraft from Compton Abbas to Dunkeswell Airfield, Devon with one passenger on board. A go-around was flown from the first approach, because of observed parachuting activity, but the pilot stated that his subsequent landing was uneventful. Following that flight, he left the aircraft parked for several hours and then flew it back to Compton Abbas, accompanied by the same passenger.

After checking-in with ‘Compton Radio’ for air/ground communication, the pilot chose to make a straight-in approach for grass Runway 08, which was dry. This runway has an available landing distance of 803 m and the surface slopes down from the threshold towards the mid-point before sloping up towards the Runway 26 threshold. Visibility was good but the wind was northeasterly at 20 kt, so the pilot approached at 75 knots, which he said was faster than normal, because of the wind strength.

He did not believe his approach was unusual in any other way, although he said he touched down more than halfway along the runway. He realised the landing was heavier than intended because, shortly after touchdown, he and his passenger felt a jolt and were “jerked” against their seatbelts. It was apparent that the nose landing gear had collapsed and as a result, both propeller blades then struck the ground. Once the aircraft had come to
a halt, in a nose-down attitude, the pilot and his passenger both vacated, uninjured and without assistance.

The nosewheel had detached and one leg of the fork assembly had broken off, with the other fork bent through approximately 60º. Both propeller blades were also bent and the engine had been pushed back and upwards, causing distortion of the engine mounting.

The pilot could not understand what went wrong during the landing and stated he would seek assistance from a flying instructor when he next flew"

=Damage sustained to airframe=
Per the AAIB report "Nose landing gear collapsed, propeller blades bent and engine frame damaged". Although the damage seems to have been repairable, the aircraft was presumably later deemed to be "damaged beyond economic repair" as the registration G-NHRH was cancelled (and the airframe de-registered) on 28 August 2020 as "permanently withdrawn from use"

1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57ff92a4e5274a4962000018/Piper_PA-28-140_Cherokee_G-NHRH_11-16.pdf
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-NHRH.pdf
3. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/SE-EZP.html
4. https://oy-reg.dk/register/992.html
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compton_Abbas_Airfield

This Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee was built in 1967, and was first registered in Sweden as SE-EZP. It was re-registered in Denmark as OY-BIC in 1976. The aircraft was first registered in the UK as G-NHRH on 19 May 1982, being sold on and re-registered to new owners on 18 December 1995 and 17 April 2007.

After the incident at Compton Abbas on 30 May 2016, the aircraft was presumably later deemed to be \"damaged beyond economic repair\" as the registration G-NHRH was cancelled (and the airframe de-registered) on 28 August 2020 as \"permanently withdrawn from use\". As at 6 April 2016, G-NHRH had accumulated a total of 6,051 flying hours on the airframe

G-NHRH: Piper PA-28-140 at Compton Abbas Airfield, Shaftesbury, Dorset (EGHA) 16 April 2016:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
29-Apr-2024 12:45	Dr. John Smith	Added
29-Apr-2024 12:45	ASN	Updated [Accident report]