What happened
On November 12, 2025, at approximately 21:42 local time, a Piper PA-3-1T was conducting a flight for efficiency maintenance, departing from Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCEL) and traveling toward the Santo Domingo sector in the Valparaíso Region. The flight carried a crew of two and one passenger.
During the return leg to the airport, the pilot in command declared an emergency due to a landing gear failure. The aircraft subsequently landed on runway 17 right; however, during the landing roll, the aircraft veered off the right (east) side of the runway and came to a stop in the area adjacent to the paved surface. All three occupants (two crew members and one passenger) evacuated the aircraft on their own and sustained no injuries.
The investigation
DGAC Chile investigators examined the wreckage and identified significant structural damage to the aircraft. Key findings regarding the airframe included:
- A fractured rod end on the left landing gear actuator cylinder.
- Extensive damage to the left wing, including deformed upper skin, sheared rivets near the flap track, and a detached flap track extending toward the wing root.
- Damage to the left aileron and left flap surfaces, characterized by deformed and worn skin.
- Structural wear and deformation to the empennage tail cone, the left engine nacelle cowling, and the left wingtip fairing.
Findings
- The primary factor in the emergency was a mechanical failure of the landing gear actuator cylinder rod end.
- The runway excursion was a consequence of the landing gear malfunction and the subsequent loss of directional control or structural integrity during the landing roll.