AAIB investigation to Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six, G-CDUX
Loss of control during crosswind landing, Newtownards Airport, 6 June 2014.
Summary:
As the aircraft approached Runway 04 at Newtownards the surface wind was 15 kt from 130° resulting in a 15 kt crosswind from the right. Agricultural machinery was operating in the field directly to the left of the runway. The pilot reported that he used the ‘crab’ technique to compensate for the crosswind and that he encountered some turbulence during the last 200 ft of the approach. During the flare, as he aligned the aircraft with the runway and lowered the into-wind wing, the wingtip struck the runway and the resulting loss of directional control caused the aircraft to depart the runway, collide with a fence and suffer substantial damage. The pilot and the passengers vacated the aircraft without injury. The pilot attributed the cause of the accident to the distraction of the turbulence and the nearby agricultural activity causing him to over-compensate for the effects of the crosswind.
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