What happened
On September 14, 2016, at 10:19 UTC, a Tecnam P2006T, registration SP-MEP, was performing a training flight and landed on runway 07L at Łódź-Lublinek Airport [EPLL]. Immediately after touchdown, the pilot reported a probable puncture of the nose gear tire.
Despite the issue, the pilot did not declare an emergency and was able to taxi the aircraft independently to the end of the runway, where assistance was requested to vacate the movement area. The runway was occupied for approximately 15 minutes, during which time another training aircraft, SP-CSL, was held for a second approach. The Tecnam P2006T was subsequently towed to the operator's hangars.
The investigation
The investigation focused on determining the cause of the tire failure and inspecting the runway environment. Following the incident, the airport's Duty Operations Manager (DOP) inspected both the runway and the taxiway used by SP-MEP. The inspection revealed no foreign object debris (FOD) or other runway obstructions that could have caused the puncture.
Findings
- The investigation could not establish a specific cause for the tire puncture.
- The high intensity of flight training operations was noted as a contributing factor to the operational environment.