ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 181450
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| Date: | Tuesday 2 April 1985 |
| Time: | 17:27 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk |
| Owner/operator: | G.C.J. Moffat & Co Ltd |
| Registration: | G-BGKX |
| MSN: | 38-78A0626 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Jackson's Bay Beach, Barry Island, South Glamorgan -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Cardiff Airport (CWL/EGFF) |
| Cardiff Airport (CWL/EGFF) | |
| Investigating agency: | AIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
Written off (destroyed) 2/4/1985 when crashed at Jackson's Bay Beach, Barry Island, South Wales; pilot attempted to force land at Barry Island, after engine failure. It collided with the fence of a car park, went through the fence, dropped vertically 23 metres down a cliff face, and overturned. According to the following extract from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"The pilot was on a local training flight in the Cardiff Airport circuit area. The aircraft was being flown by a student pilot, who was on his third solo flight. The student pilot took off from Cardiff at 16:46 hours, and remained within the Cardiff Airport circuit area. After he had been airborne for about 40 minutes, and when the aircraft was in a climb back up to circuit height, the engine suddenly stopped.
The pilot immediately lowered the nose of the aircraft, then closed and re-opened the throttle, in an attempt to re-start the engine. The engine restarted momentarily, then coughed and stopped again. The pilot then transmitted an emergency radio call to Cardiff ATC, stating that he had engine trouble.
In response to a query by the ATC Controller concerning the nature of the emergency and the pilots intentions, the pilot replied that he was over Barry Docks and stated that he was going to make a forced landing on the beach by Barry Island Holiday Camp. No further transmissions were received from the pilot, and the ATC Controller at Cardiff immediately alerted the Emergency Services.
There are eyewitness reports of the aircraft descending at a very low altitude and making no engine noise approaching the open car park area of the holiday camp on the south of Barry Island. The car park is sited on a cliff top, with a considerable down slope, followed by a 23 metre vertical drop above the beach. The cliff edge part of the car park is bounded by a 2.5 metre high iron fence.
The aircraft first struck the ground in the car park about 5 metres from, and heading directly towards, the iron perimeter fence. The aircraft penetrated through the fence, which slowed it down considerably, before descending vertically down the 23 metre drop of the cliff face, finally coming to rest inverted amongst the rocks and sand. Eye-witnesses released the pilot from the wreckage and he was taken to hospital"
Damage sustained to aircraft: per the official AAIB report, the aircraft was "destroyed". As a result the registration G-BGKX was cancelled by the CAA on 25/4/1985 (just three weeks later) as "destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422f53c40f0b613460005b9/Piper_PA_38-112_Tomahawk_G-BGKX_05-85.pdf
2. CAA: http://www.caa.co.uk/aircraft-registration/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Nov-2015 19:16 | Dr.John Smith | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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