Incident Details
On Sunday, July 10, 2005, at 16:08 UTC, a Piper PA-34-220T Seneca III, registration EC-JFU, departed La Rioja Aerodrome (LERJ) at 15:00 UTC for Cuatro Vientos Airport (LECU) in Madrid. The aircraft was privately operated. The pilot held a private pilot license (PPL(A)) with 216 total flight hours, including 37 hours on type (11.5 hours solo). The aircraft was powered by two Teledyne Continental TSIO-360KB and LTSIO-360KB engines.
During the approach, the pilot was informed of preceding traffic and requested a 360° right turn to maintain separation, which was approved. Before completing the turn, landing clearance was received, and the pilot executed a left 90° turn to align with the runway. The aircraft touched down at approximately 16:08 UTC. During the landing roll, the aircraft was offset to the right of the runway centerline. The left main wheel touched first, followed by the nose wheel, then the right main wheel. The pilot applied left brake pedal, causing the aircraft to skid left, sliding uncontrolled on the runway with the right wing leading until it came to rest off the runway, nose facing northwest. The tower activated alarms and followed emergency procedures.
Aircraft Damage
The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The right propeller blades were bent forward. The right main landing gear cylinder fractured at the joint with the overcenter link. The left tire blew out on impact. The lower right fuselage was scraped. The right wing experienced abrasion on the underside and deformations on the upper surface near the root and at the tip.
Meteorological Conditions
Weather reported by the pilot and witnesses included light wind from the north, unlimited visibility, and clear skies.
Analysis and Findings
According to the investigation, the aircraft entered the final approach offset to the right and not aligned with the runway centerline after interrupting the separation turn. The landing was hard, attempting to align the aircraft with the runway and level it in light crosswind conditions. The left tire, which was heavily worn with minimal tread, blew out on impact. Application of the left brake caused the aircraft to yaw left and slide, generating transverse loads on the right landing gear that led to its failure from overstress.