Incident Overview
On 30 May 2019, at approximately 15:45 local time, a Piper PA-28 Cherokee, registered D-EKUC, experienced an incident during landing at Warsaw-Babice Airport (EPBC). The aircraft was operated by a private user and crewed by two pilots: a female instructor pilot, aged 44, holding a commercial pilot license (CPL(A)), and a male pilot, aged 35, holding a private pilot license (PPL(A)). No injuries were sustained by the crew.
Flight Details
The flight began around 12:30 local time from EPBC as a check flight to evaluate piloting technique. The planned route included a transit to Chrcynno (EPNC), several circuits there, and a return to EPBC. Weather conditions were visual meteorological conditions (VMC) during daytime. The committee assessed that atmospheric conditions did not influence the occurrence.
Landing and Damage
During the fifth approach, while flaring for landing, the right landing gear separated from the aircraft. The crew was informed of the missing gear by the flight director at EPBC. After confirming the situation with another aircraft, the crew went around and flew to a designated area to consume fuel. Once fuel was reduced to a quantity allowing a return, the crew landed on runway 28 at EPBC at 15:45 local time. The landing resulted in a left turn of approximately 140 degrees from the runway axis. The aircraft sustained minor damage, and the crew evacuated the cockpit unaided.
Regulatory Findings
The check flight was conducted with an aircraft registered in another country that had not been reported to Polish aviation authorities. According to Polish regulations (§10 of the Minister of Infrastructure Regulation of 20 April 2004 and Article 151 of the Aviation Law Act), operators must report the permanent stay of a foreign aircraft in Poland if the stay exceeds three months. This requirement was not fulfilled. Consequently, the State Commission for Aircraft Accident Investigation (PKBWL) decided to discontinue the investigation under Article 135, section 6, point 3 of the Aviation Law Act, as the aircraft was operated in violation of applicable regulations.