What happened
On October 21, 2022, at 15:35 local time, a Cessna 150M departed from Rodelillo Aerodrome (SCRD) in Valparaíso, Chile, for a flight retraining session. The crew, consisting of a private pilot and a flight instructor assistant, performed various maneuvers, including touch-and-go landings and coastal flight patterns.
During an emergency procedure practice involving a 180-degree turn on runway 19, the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of stability. The aircraft's nose descended sharply, leading to a hard impact with the runway surface. The impact caused the nose gear tire to burst and the right wingtip to strike the pavement. The crew members were uninjured, but the aircraft sustained significant structural damage.
The investigation
DGAC Chile examined the aircraft's maintenance history, the crew's flight experience, and the meteorological conditions at the time of the incident. Investigators reviewed the maintenance logs, which showed the aircraft had undergone a 100-hour/annual inspection approximately 81 hours prior to the event, with no mechanical discrepancies noted.
The investigation also scrutinized the operational procedures of the flying club. It was noted that the pilot required retraining due to a lack of recent flight experience (over 194 days). Investigators also analyzed the wind conditions, noting the local topography of a nearby valley which can influence airflow near the runway.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the abrupt contact of the aircraft with the runway surface during the landing phase.
- The aircraft was destabilized by a sudden descent and nose-down attitude, likely triggered by wind gusts during the approach.
- The flight instructor assistant failed to adequately anticipate or correct the wind conditions, despite the aerodrome being a familiar operating environment.
- An operational error occurred when the flying club assigned a flight instructor assistant to the retraining flight instead of a qualified flight instructor, violating the club's own permanent operational directives.
Safety action
- The flying club must ensure that flight instructors are properly designated for all retraining flights in accordance with established operational directives.
- Pilots should be reminded to remain vigilant regarding local terrain and orographic features that may induce wind gusts and low-level wind shear during approaches.