Cessna 172 accident at Melipilla Aerodrome

Incident Overview and Background On August 30, 2021, a Cessna 172 aircraft was involved in an accident at the Aeródromo de Melipilla (SCMP) in the Región Metropolitana. The incident occurred during a training flight involving a student pilot and an instructor. The aircraft had departed from the Aeródromo de Curacaví (SCCV) for the purpose of practicing short landings. The student pilot, who was in stage 16 of the private pilot course, had completed his first flight on March 3, 2021, without any recorded issues. The flight to Melipilla was completed without incident, and the instructor subsequently left the aircraft to allow the student to perform three solo traffic circuits and short landings. During the second landing on runway 26 at SCMP, the aircraft experienced a series of bounces on the runway before coming to a stop. Following the event, the student pilot and instructor conducted an initial inspection of the aircraft and found no apparent issues, leading them to fly back to Curacaví. However, a more detailed examination later revealed damage to the lower front fuselage and the engine fire shield. The student pilot was reported to be uninjured, while the aircraft sustained damage. The investigation was conducted in accordance with the standards and recommended practices (SARPs) established in Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the regulations on the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents (DAR-13).