ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 187539
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| Date: | Sunday 27 March 1994 |
| Time: | 15:00 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28R-200 Cherokee Arrow |
| Owner/operator: | Bravo Juliet Whiskey Flying Ltd |
| Registration: | G-BDKV |
| MSN: | 28R-7335297 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Elmer Sands, near Bognor Regis, West Sussex -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Bembridge, Isle of Wight (BBP/EGHJ) |
| Southend, Essex (SEN/EGMC) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On the afternoon of 27 March 1994 Piper Cherokee Arrow G-BDKV took off from Bembridge en route to Southend. However only ten minutes into the flight the pilot experienced engine vibration which, despite all he did, simply got worse and the oil pressure was dropping. Thus he put out a distress call and hoped to make Goodwood Airfield. But with the vibration becoming intolerable, oil pressure dropping almost to zero and smoke coming from the engine, he realised that he would not reach land and would have to ditch at sea as close to land as possible.
That point was Elmer Sands, to the east of Bognor Regis. Presumably the tide was high as the beach was steeply banked shingle (at low tide there is an expanse of flat sand). Thus he made his descent parallel to the waterline, keeping his air speed above stall speed until he was a few feet above the water when he pulled the nose up, stalled and pancaked into the water. The Piper remained upright and afloat. The pilot and his passenger were able to exit it through the starboard door (which had been opened ajar, as a precaution, during the descent) and across the starboard wing before jumping into the sea and swimming 50-60 metres to shore. Neither were injured.
The Piper was recovered from the shallow water in which it had ditched and the engine was subjected to examination. What this revealed was a catastrophic failure of the number three cylinder, due to metal fatigue, which explained the in-flight vibration. As a result of this engine damage, the damage to the airframe caused by ditching and salt water corrosion, G-BDKV was beyond economic repair and its registration was cancelled by the CAA as 'destroyed' on 25 May 1994.
Piper G-BDKV was built in 1973, and was ex-G-BBEH from 31/7/1973 before becoming EI-AYE from 20/8/1973. When it returned to the UK on 29/10/1975 it became G-BDKV instead of its former registration. However, CAA record indicate that G-BBEH was never applied to the airframe, and thus (quote) "marks never adapted, see G-BDKV"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5423031ae5274a1317000c01/Piper_PA-28R-200_Cherokee_Arrow_II__G-BDKV_06-94.pdf
2. CAA as G-BDKV: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-BDKV-1.pdf
3. CAA as G-BDKV: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-BDKV-2.pdf
4. CAA as G-BBEH: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-BBEH.pdf
5. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/G-BDKV.html
6. Wreckage at Fairoaks (EGTF) on 20/3/2005 (wearing spurious markings as "G-OOAT": https://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Piper-PA-28R-200-Cherokee-Arrow-II/803778
7. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=17532.0
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer,_West_Sussex
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-May-2016 13:13 | Dr.John Smith | Added |
| 23-May-2016 13:15 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 16-Nov-2020 21:19 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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