Powys: Learner pilot crash lands after plane door opens

The Piper PA-28 Cherokee G-AVBT seen here in 2010

A learner pilot had to crash land an aircraft after a door popped open 10 minutes into a lesson, an investigation has found.

The instructor, who was on her first teaching flight, battled to keep the Piper PA-28 door shut as her student tried to bring the plane down safely.

But the aircraft hit a hedge and crash landed at Welshpool Airport in Powys.

It was damaged but the pair walked away unhurt last July, the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.

Its report said the drama happened during a trial lesson for the novice flier.

The main door of the single-engine Cherokee flew open shortly after take-off.

'It kept descending'

The 49-year-old instructor tried but failed to close the door. She decided to continue to Welshpool, requesting permission to land.

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The instructor explained the procedure to the student, and the aircraft was lined up facing the centre of the runway, with its flaps extended, the report said.

As the student flew, the instructor held the door shut, but the aircraft "lost lift and dropped losing altitude" at about 150m (490ft) from the runway, the instructor said.

"Full power was immediately applied and the aircraft was pitched-up, but it kept descending, making a go-around impossible," she added.

Securing double latches

The crash landing broke off the main undercarriage of the Piper and the propeller was badly damaged, the report described.

But it came to a rest alongside the runway and the pair walked away without any injuries.

The AAIB said the pilot's operating handbook for the Piper PA-28 did not include a procedure for dealing with an open door in flight.

However a later guidebook for similar aircraft does give advice which includes slowing down, opening a window and securing the double latches.