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| Date: | Sunday 7 April 2024 |
| Time: | 09:52 UTC |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-181 Archer II |
| Owner/operator: | Flight School Promotion |
| Registration: | OO-TOP |
| MSN: | 28-8390085 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial, repaired |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Spa/La Sauvenière (EBSP) -
 Belgium
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Spa-La Sauvenière Airfield (EBSP) |
| Spa-La Sauvenière Airfield (EBSP) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIU Belgium |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot arrived at the Spa airfield in the morning. He lives in the region and knows the airfield well. The goal of today's flight was to fly over the lake of Robertville with two friends.
The pilot was used to putting a cushion on the seat. But, while it was usually on board, on the back seat, that day it was not present. The pilot then raised the seat to the maximum height, but he was sitting lower than usual.
The pilot wanted to start the flight with a few touchdowns in order to regain good contact with the plane.
The plane took off around 11:45 a.m. after the engine run-up. The take-off roll went smoothly. The plane joined the circuit at an altitude of 2600 ft. As the pilot wanted to keep 500 ft above ground and EBSP has an altitude of 1534 ft, he aimed for an altitude of 2100 ft AMSL when turning to final. The pilot judged that the plane was a little high and reduced the throttle (last turn at 80 kt). He did not seek to make a major correction.
The pilot selected 1 notch of flaps in downwind, a 2nd notch in the base leg and the 3rd notch at the start of the final. The airspeed was then between 65-70 kt.
The pilot aimed for the very beginning of the tarmac and monitored the speed. He had a clear view of the entire runway and focused on the runway threshold. At one point, as he looked up (to see the runway), he noticed the treetops to his left. He tried to move away to the right, but felt a shock. At first glance, the pilot had the impression of having hit the trees below the plane. During the approach, he did not see any tree directly in front of him, but he still had the runway threshold in sight.
The aircraft continued the landing and landed safely on runway 23.
Findings as to causes and contributing factors
• The pilot has a low recent experience, the last flight as PIC happened in November 2023. However he made a ‘refresher flight’ with a flight instructor 2 weeks before.
• The recorded data show the airplane flew an approach slope lower than 3 degrees from the horizontal.
• The pilot flew at a lower sitting position than what he is used to. This might have influenced his appreciation of the flight path.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
AAIU Belgium
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Oct-2024 15:07 | ASN | Added |
| 08-Oct-2024 15:35 | ASN | Updated [Operator, ] |
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