Cessna 210K Runway Excursion at Chillán Aerodrome

Incident Overview and Location On August 18, 2024, at 17:55 local time, a Cessna 210K aircraft experienced a runway excursion at the General Bernardo O'Higgins Aerodrome (SCCH) in Chillán, Ñuble Region, Chile. The aircraft was returning to its home aerodrome and was on approach to runway 22 when the incident occurred. ## Aircraft and Pilot Information The aircraft was a 1971 Cessna 210K with serial number 21059492 and 4,305.48 flight hours. Its maximum certified takeoff weight was 3,800 pounds. The pilot was a 65-year-old Chilean national holding a private pilot license for single-engine land aircraft. He had 1,749.32 total flight hours, including 400 hours on the aircraft type, and had logged 0.7 hours on the day of the incident. ## Sequence of Events and Damage The aircraft made its first touchdown 360 meters from the threshold of runway 22, within the first third of the 1,750-meter runway. Immediately after touchdown, the aircraft tilted to the right, making contact with the right wingtip, right horizontal stabilizer, and the retracted right main landing gear tire. The aircraft then traveled 245 meters before exiting the runway and falling into a ditch located parallel to the runway. The investigation team determined the point of first contact using tire marks and subsequent structural friction marks on the runway. No fuel, oil, or hydraulic fluid leaks were observed on the runway surface. ## Damage Assessment The aircraft sustained significant damage, including broken and deformed engine cowlings, a deformed right wingtip with material loss, a deformed tail structure, and a deformed right horizontal stabilizer with material loss. The nose gear doors were deformed, and the propeller blades exhibited scratches and pitting with a deformed cone. The engine was subject to inspection due to ground impact. ## Survival Factors and Investigation Status The safety harnesses were in good operating condition, and the seats moved freely while securing the selected position. The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was activated when investigators arrived and was deactivated when the aircraft was removed from the ditch. The investigation remains in progress, in the final evidence collection stage, to determine the cause of the incident and generate operational recommendations for this type of aircraft.