Date:	Sunday 18 February 2018
Time:	13:30
Type:	Piper PA-24-250 Comanche
Owner/operator:	Three Two Papa Inc Trustee
Registration:	N7832P
MSN:	24-3052
Year of manufacture:	1962
Engine model:	Lycoming 0-540 Series
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Chiltern Air Park, Icknield Road, Ipsden, Wallingford, Oxfordshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Benson RAF Station (BEX/EGUB)
Destination airport:	Chiltern Air Park, Icknield Road, Ipsden, Wallingford, Oxfordshire
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
Substantially damaged 18/2/2018 in a wheels-up landing at Chiltern Air Park, Icknield Road, Ipsden, Wallingford, Oxfordshire. According to the official AAIB report into the accident:

"AAIB investigation to Piper PA-24-250 Commanche, N7832P
Inadvertent gear-up landing, Chiltern Air Park, Oxfordshire, 18 February 2018.

The pilot had departed from Benson airfield to carry out circuits at Chiltern Air Park which is located 4 nautical miles south of Benson. He had spoken to the owner of Chiltern Air Park to obtain permission and check the runway conditions. After joining the circuit at Chiltern, he omitted to select the landing gear down during his downwind checks. During the base and final legs, he was focussed on avoiding ‘noise abatement’ areas, and although he recalled performing a ‘reds, blues, greens’ ‘touch drill’ check, he did not consciously check that the green landing gear lights were on. The aircraft touched down lightly on the grass and came to rest on its underside.

The pilot stated that due to the short distance between Benson and Chiltern it was a very quick transition from climb-out, departure checks before needing to focus on joining the circuit. His focus on maintaining a good look-out for other aircraft and correctly joining the circuit contributed to him rushing his downwind checks. He thinks he said the word “undercarriage” on the downwind check but carried out a ‘touch drill’ without manually selecting the gear down."

=Damage sustained to airframe=
Per the above AAIB report "Damage to propeller and fuselage underside". The aircraft was repaired and returned to service.

Chiltern Air Park was located West of the A4074, on Icknield Farm, in/near Ipsden, approximately 2.5 nautical miles South South-East of Wallingford, Oxfordshire. The airfield opened in 1988, and closed on 24 September 2021.

The airfield was ordered to close in June 2021, with the official closing date being 24 September after 33 years of operation. The closure of the airfield was ordered by a local farmer and his wife, who own the land on which the airfield was sited, and live close by. The couple complained about the venture growing "too big over the years", and that the noise of the aircraft "disturbs families living nearby". Since 2022, the aerodrome has been reverted to farmland.

1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b69b67ee5274a14f10c53e3/Piper_PA-24-250_Commanche_N7832P_08-18.pdf
2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=7832P
3. https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/N7832P/
4. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N7832P.html
5. https://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Chiltern-Park
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiltern_Park_Aerodrome

This Piper PA-24-250 Comanche was built in 1962, with its first Certificate of Airworthiness being issued 24 January 1962. However, currently-available FAA records only date back to 2008, when the aircraft was registered as N7832P to Three Two Papa Inc Trustee of Wilmington, Delaware, USA from 15 December 2008. The aircraft was re-registered to Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc Trustee, of Norfolk, UK from 13 April 2020

N7832P: Piper PA-24-250 Comanche at the LAA Rally, Sywell, Northamptonshire (ORM/EGBK), 1 September 2019

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
09-Aug-2018 16:07	Dr.John Smith	Added
22-Aug-2018 14:50	harro	Updated [Source, Embed code]
21-Jun-2024 08:38	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category]