Cessna 172K Crash During Training Flight at El Vergel Aerodrome

Incident Overview and Casualties On March 29, 2024, at 14:40 local time, a Cessna 172K aircraft crashed into the terrain outside the boundaries of El Vergel Aerodrome (SCVG) in the Valdivia Province, Los Ríos Region, Chile. The aircraft was conducting a training flight with a commercial pilot instructor and two student pilots on board. The student pilot at the controls died in the accident, while the instructor and the second student pilot sustained serious injuries. The aircraft sustained severe damage. ## Aircraft and Maintenance Details The aircraft was a Cessna 172K manufactured in 1969, with serial number 17257484. At the time of the accident, it had logged 4,905.05 flight hours. The last inspection was conducted on March 7, 2024, at 4,882.55 hours of service, which included a 50-hour review and an engine oil change. The flight log was not found on board the aircraft. ## Meteorological and Operational Conditions According to the Chilean Meteorological Service, the weather at the time of the accident was clear with little cloud cover. At 14:00 local time, the temperature was 17.5°C with 56.1% humidity, and the wind was from the west at 9.2 km/h. At 15:00, the temperature was 17.6°C with 51.6% humidity, and the wind was from the northwest at 11.1 km/h. The aerodrome is a private, uncontrolled facility with a 650 by 18-meter grass runway. ## Site Investigation and Damage Analysis The aircraft came to rest in a neighboring farm (Bellavista) 166 meters from runway 24 threshold, among bushes. Investigators determined the aircraft's trajectory by analyzing the final position, tree impacts, and runway marks. The left wing showed structural damage from a frontal impact with a solid object, matching recently cut thick branches in the aircraft's exit path. The aircraft had over-run the end of runway 06 by at least 32 meters before making a 180-degree left turn to initiate takeoff. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.