Date:	Wednesday 10 January 2018
Time:	13:30
Type:	Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga SP
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	G-ELLA
MSN:	32-46050
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Category:	Incident
Location:	near the Compton VOR/DME Beacon, Hampstead Norreys, Thatcham -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	White Waltham Airfield (EGLM)
Destination airport:	White Waltham Airfield (EGLM)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
AAIB investigation to Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga SP, G-ELLA: Forward baggage door opened in flight, near the Compton VOR/DME Beacon, Hampstead Norreys, Thatcham, Berkshire 10 January 2018, while the aircraft was in flight from White Waltham Airfield. The incident was the subject of an AAIB Investigation, and the following is the summary from the AAIB Report:

"Prior to undertaking a training flight with an instructor, the owner completed a pre-flight inspection. As part of this, he took off the aircraft’s cover and stored it in the forward baggage bay but, during the flight after practising a stall, the baggage bay door opened unexpectedly. The cover was sucked out of the baggage bay and struck the wing before detaching from the airframe. The baggage bay door remained open in the slipstream, with no control difficulties experienced by the crew, as they returned to White Waltham Airfield where the aircraft landed safely.

The instructor believes that the baggage bay door was not properly secured during the pre-flight inspection. Other than to the baggage bay door, no other damage was noted, and the aircraft was returned to service once it had been repaired".

=Damage Sustained to airframe=
Per the above AAIB Report "Damage to the forward baggage bay door". The aircraft was repaired and returned to service.

The Compton VOR/DME facility can be clearly seen from the B4009 on the left when travelling North East away from Hampstead Norreys, Thatcham, Berkshire. It's situated in a field at the back of Haw Farm. The village of Compton from which it's named is a few miles NW of the beacon.

Hampstead Norreys (alternatively spelt Hampstead Norris as it is pronounced) is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is centred on the River Pang, north of Newbury. As well as the nucleus of Hampstead Norreys, the parish includes the hamlets of Bothampstead, Eling and Wyld Court

1. AAIB Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f5a36f4d3bf7f7238f22fe7/Piper_PA-32R-301_Saratoga_SP_G-ELLA_12-18.pdf
2. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/G-ELLA.html
3. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N9279Q.html
4. https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberResult (N9279Q)
5. https://ourairports.com/navaids/CPT/Compton_VOR-DME_GB/
6. http://www.trevord.com/navaids/cpt.htm
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Waltham_Airfield

This Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga SP was built in 1996, and was registered in the UK as G-ELLA on 13 August 1996 to South Yorkshire Air Services Ltd of Sheffield. For some reason, the registration G-ELLA was cancelled on 16 September 1996, only to be reinstated (still as G-ELLA and to the same owners). This is probably related to the aircraft being briefly registered in the United States as N9279Q to Anglo American Airmotive Inc of Dover, Delaware, USA from 10 to 17 September 1996.

G-ELLA moved on to its 3rd owner on 16 April 1998, passing on to the 4th owner on 29 June 1998. After the incident on 10 January 2018, G-ELLA was repaired and returned to service, then moved on to its next (5th) owner on 28 June 2018, followed by the 6th owner on 24 November 2020. The airframe had accumulated a total of 1,633 flying hours as at 25 June 2020

The 6th owner had an address in Malta, and then the registration G-ELLA was cancelled by the CAA (and the airframe de-registered) on 9 May 2022 as \"Transferred to another country or authority - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA\"

G-ELLA Piper Saratoga SP-PA32R at Gloucestershire Airport (GLO/EGBJ) 10 December 2019

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Jul-2024 14:30	Dr. John Smith	Added
02-Jul-2024 14:31	ASN	Updated [Accident report]