Runway Overrun at La Cerdaña Aerodrome Involving EC-ETE

Incident Overview and Flight Details On Sunday, March 9, 2003, at 12:35 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 with registration EC-ETE departed Reus Airport for a private pleasure flight to La Cerdaña aerodrome in Girona. The aircraft carried four people: the pilot in command and three passengers. After approximately 90 minutes of flight, the aircraft arrived at the destination. ## Operational Context and Approach La Cerdaña is a private aerodrome owned by the La Cerdaña Community of Municipalities, with a 1,150-meter by 23-meter asphalt runway oriented 07-25. The aerodrome is uncontrolled, and operational responsibilities, including obstacle avoidance and traffic separation, rest with the pilots. On the day of the incident, the Aeroclub Barcelona-Sabadell was conducting glider operations, with a flight chief monitoring the aerodrome frequency (123.50 MHz). A Cessna 172 was preparing to take off from runway 25, and a glider tug was returning to the aerodrome from approximately 5 nautical miles away. ## Sequence of Events The pilot initially reported being on a long final for runway 07, where he had a 15-knot headwind. After communications on the aerodrome frequency, the pilot changed his intention to land on runway 25. Witnesses reported that the aircraft passed over the runway 25 threshold at a high altitude and speed, leading some to believe it was performing a circuit. The pilot stated he made a 75-knot flare and touched down slightly before the runway's negative slope began, which started after the first third of the runway. ## Accident and Damage Due to tailwind and the negative slope, the pilot reported that the brakes overheated approximately 15 meters from the runway 07 threshold, leaving insufficient runway to stop. The aircraft overran the end of runway 25, descended a 7-meter embankment, and struck the aerodrome's perimeter fence. The aircraft sustained significant damage, including a broken and deformed nose gear, total destruction of the main gear, broken and deformed right and left wings (with a perforation on the left), lateral displacement of the engine, a broken windshield, and significant fuselage deformations. The fence posts and wire mesh were also deformed. ## Personnel and Aftermath The pilot, a 31-year-old Spanish commercial pilot with 259 total flight hours and 23 hours on type, and the three passengers all evacuated the aircraft under their own power. No injuries were reported. The investigation relied solely on witness statements, as the private, uncontrolled aerodrome lacked communication recordings or other technical data to verify the aircraft's trajectory.