What happened
On October 5, 2021, a Piper PA-31 Navajo was performing a landing on runway 17 at the Las Marías Aerodrome (SCVL) in Valdivia, Chile. The flight crew, consisting of a flight instructor and a student pilot, was conducting a training flight as part of an air ambulance mission.
During the final approach, the instructor moved the landing gear lever to the down position. However, while performing this action, the instructor was looking outside the cockpit to monitor the runway, which was undergoing maintenance work. Consequently, the landing gear was not fully extended. As the aircraft approached the runway surface, the propellers struck the pavement with significant force. The instructor immediately applied full power and took control of the aircraft to abort the landing, successfully performing a go-around and landing safely on a subsequent attempt.
All three occupants—the instructor, the student pilot, and one passenger—remained uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, including broken propeller blades on both engines, damage to the flaps, and impact marks on the fuselage and wingtips.
The investigation
The DGAC Chile investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the impact. Investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance records, which showed the plane had undergone a recent inspection and was in good mechanical condition. The investigation also reviewed the cockpit procedures, specifically the use of the landing gear indicator lights and the student pilot's use of the nose gear mirror.
Investigators determined that the crew's attention was divided by external factors. The instructor was focused on scanning the runway for personnel and vehicles due to ongoing maintenance, while the student pilot was preoccupied with managing a strong crosswind from the left. Furthermore, the investigation found that the crew failed to verify the gear position using the cockpit's internal indicator lights.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the impact of the propellers against the runway surface while the landing gear remained retracted.
- The flight crew experienced a loss of situational awareness due to external distractions, including maintenance activities at the aerodrome and managing a strong left crosswind.
- The instructor failed to ensure the landing gear was fully extended because his visual focus was directed outside the aircraft.
- The student pilot did not adequately verify the nose gear position via the cockpit mirror.
- The crew did not utilize the cockpit's landing gear position indicator lights to confirm the gear was down and locked.
Safety action
Following the investigation, the following safety recommendations were noted:
- Operators should reinforce the distribution of individual and group responsibilities during flight planning to prevent loss of situational awareness, utilizing Crew Resource Management (CRM) and Threat and Error Management (TEM) techniques.
- Pilots operating at uncontrolled aerodromes should perform low approaches to verify the runway is clear of persons, animals, or vehicles before attempting a landing.