Incident Overview
On March 15, 2021, a Piper PA-28-181 with registration EC-IRJ was involved in an accident at Muchamiel Aerodrome in Alicante. The aircraft, operated by Club de vuelo TAS, departed from Cuatro Vientos Airport for a visual flight rules (VFR) trip. The pilot and two passengers were on board; the flight was intended to help the pilot accumulate hours toward a commercial pilot license.
Operational Details
The pilot reported checking weather conditions beforehand and selecting Muchamiel due to better conditions in the south-southeast. The aircraft departed at 09:40 local time, flying mostly at 6,500 feet. Upon arrival, the pilot entered the traffic pattern for runway 12 with a left crosswind. During the second circuit, flaps were set to two points and speed adjusted to 75 knots.
Accident Sequence
The initial touchdown on the main gear was described as soft. However, after traveling approximately 100 meters down the runway, the aircraft began to veer to the left. Despite maximum braking efforts, the plane crossed the runway strip and struck the terrain with its propeller due to a positive elevation change. The aircraft came to rest 40 meters from the runway centerline and 200 meters from the threshold.
Damage and Injuries
The impact caused damage to the nose landing gear and the propeller blades. No other structural damage was reported, and there were no injuries to the three occupants on board.