Date:	Thursday 18 May 2017
Time:	17:00 LT
Type:	Piper PA-32R-301T Turbo Saratoga SP
Owner/operator:	Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc Trustee
Registration:	N88NA
MSN:	32R-8529005
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Category:	Accident
Location:	White Waltham Airfield, Maidenhead, Berkshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Taxi
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	White Waltham Airfield (EGLM)
Destination airport:
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
AAIB investigation to Piper PA 32R-301T, N88NA: Damaged due to nose landing gear collapse on soft ground, White Waltham Airfield, Maidenhead, Berkshire, 18 May 2017. The incident was the subject of an AAIB Investigation, and the following is the summary from the AAIB Report:

"The aircraft was being taxied from its grass parking position to a hangar at White Waltham Airfield, via a newly built concrete apron. As N88NA approached the apron’s east side, its nose landing gear sunk into soft ground immediately adjacent to the concrete, and collapsed. The propeller then struck the concrete.

The pilot reported that he discovered after the accident that entry to the apron was permitted from the west side only. He reported that the east side had originally been marked as unusable with orange gates. However, due to on-going ground-work, a marker had been removed leading him to believe that entry to the concrete was permitted at that location".

Damage sustained to airframe===
Per the above AAIB report the "Propeller and nosewheel" were damaged. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service, but was involved in a later incident when parked at Haydock Park Racecourse on 8 September 2018 when it was struck by Beechcraft B58 Baron (see separate ASN entry)

1. AAIB Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/59c395fa40f0b65db9b9eaeb/Piper_PA_32R-301T_N88NA_10-17.pdf
2. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/F-GELX.html
3. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/G-PAPS.html
4. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N88NA.html
5. Haydock Park incident 8 September 2016: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/215220
6, https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberResult (N88NA)
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Waltham_Airfield

This Piper PA-32R-301T Turbo Saratoga SP was built in 1984, and first registered in France as F-GELX. It was then re-registered in the UK as G-PAPS on 8 July 1997. The aircraft was registered to its 2nd UK owner on 22 January 2001, and its 3rd on 28 October 2004. As at 31 December 2004, G-PAPS had accumulated a total of 2,836 flying hours on the airframe.

On 12 September 2005, the registration G-PAPS was cancelled by the CAA (with the airframe being de-registered) as \"\'Transferred to another country or authority - United States of America\", having already been re-registered as N88NA. Note that, however, the registered owner - Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc Trustee - has an address in Bungay, Suffolk, UK, and thus the aircraft remained UK based.

As noted above N88NA was involved in a later incident when parked at Haydock Park Racecourse on 8 September 2018 when it was struck by Beechcraft B58 Baron (see separate ASN entry). The damage sustained in that incident appears to have damaged the airframe beyond economic repair, and the registration N88NA was cancelled by the FAA on 30 October 2009

N88NA: Piper PA-32R-301T Saratoga II TC at Sumburgh Airport, Shetland (LSI/EGPB) 5 October 2013

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-May-2024 06:20	Dr. John Smith	Added
26-May-2024 06:21	ASN	Updated [Accident report]