Accident Piper PA-32R-300 Cherokee Lance G-BTCA,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 68012
 
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Date:Sunday 23 August 2009
Time:13:30
Type:Silhouette image of generic P32R model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Piper PA-32R-300 Cherokee Lance
Owner/operator:Trustee of the Lance Group
Registration: G-BTCA
MSN: 32R-7780381
Year of manufacture:1977
Engine model:Lycoming Io-540-K1g5D
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Alderney-The Blaye Airport, Alderney, Channel Islands -   United Kingdom
Phase: Approach
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Jersey-States Airport, Channel Islands (JER/EGJJ)
Destination airport:Alderney-The Blaye Airport, Channel Islands (ACI/EGJA)
Investigating agency: AAIB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
Written off (damaged beyond repair) 23-08-2009 when crashed at Alderney at the end of a local flight from Jersey: On approach to Alderney, the pilot temporarily lost sight of the airfield due to a bank of sea fog rolling in from the south. Having passed through the runway centre line, the angle of bank was seen by witnesses to increase to the left, following which the aircraft descended and struck the ground, just before and slightly to the left of the runway threshold.

The pilot attributed the accident to the aircraft having been caught by a sudden gust of wind, or maybe a thermal. Warnings are published in the UK AIP and various flight guides to exercise caution due to turbulence caused by nearby cliffs.

After the aircraft had come to rest, one of the rear seat passengers called out that there was a fire on the left side of the aircraft. The pilot looked out and saw two small fires, one close to the left wing root and the other immediately outboard of the outer tank. The passengers in the rear of the aircraft exited via the rear door, which was on the left side. The front seat passenger left the aircraft via the forward door on the right hand side.

One of the rear seat occupants, who had sustained a knee injury, had to be assisted from the aircraft by the other passengers. The pilot turned off the fuel and the electrical services and, after checking that everyone else had left, collected the fire extinguisher and evacuated the aircraft.

He noted that the landing gear had collapsed and that the left wing had broken into two parts. He extinguished the fire but it reignited after the extinguisher was exhausted. The flames spread and the aircraft was largely burnt out before the arrival of the fire and rescue services.

Nature of Damage sustained to airframe: Per the AAIB report "Impact damage and severe fire damage to left wing". As a result, the registration G-BTCA was cancelled by the CAA on 30-10-2009 as aircraft "destroyed"

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: AAIB
Report number: EW/G2009/08/21
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422eba5ed915d13740000a3/Piper_PA-32R-300_Cherokee_Lance__G-BTCA_02-10.pdf
2. CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aviation_accidents_and_incidents_in_the_Channel_Islands#2000s
4. https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2009/08/24/four-survive-plane-crash-in-alderney/
5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/shropshire/8220374.stm
6. http://www.alderneyjournal.com/readnews.php?id=1127
7. http://www.dudleynews.co.uk/news/blackcountry/4564501.Couple_escape_horror_plane_crash/

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
23-Aug-2009 21:53 gkhoc Added
24-Aug-2009 03:47 RobertMB Updated
24-Aug-2009 03:47 RobertMB Updated
24-Aug-2009 05:53 harro Updated
11-Feb-2010 01:21 harro Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
15-Oct-2012 17:15 Dr. John Smith Updated [Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
15-Oct-2012 17:21 Dr. John Smith Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative]
14-Dec-2014 21:45 Dr. John Smith Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative]
10-Nov-2016 13:45 Dr.John Smith Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative]
10-Nov-2016 13:45 Dr.John Smith Updated [Source]
10-Nov-2016 13:49 Dr.John Smith Updated [Source]

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