What happened
The aircraft touched down short of the intended runway threshold, landing directly on an adjacent terrain slope. This area presented significant visual challenges for the pilot due to its topography and surface characteristics. The ground rose toward the runway at a gradient of approximately 7 to 8 degrees. Crucially, the surface material consisted of colored gravel that matched the color of the runway pavement, creating a low-contrast environment where the boundary between the safe landing zone and the hazardous slope was difficult to discern.
Visual cues were minimal. The threshold itself was marked only by an orange cone placed on each side at the crest of the slope. Despite these markers, the pilot failed to identify the transition point accurately. Upon impact with the sloped terrain, the aircraft's main landing gear sustained structural failure, bending rearward under the stress of the uneven ground contact.
The investigation
Examination of the accident site and the aircraft revealed that the primary damage was localized to the landing gear system. The main gear struts were found bent in a rearward direction, consistent with striking a hard, sloped surface rather than level pavement. The terrain analysis confirmed that the slope angle and gravel coloration created a deceptive visual field, likely contributing to the pilot's misjudgment of altitude and position relative to the runway threshold.