Cessna F172N Accident at Igualada Aerodrome (EC-EQG)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On Friday, August 8, 2003, a Reims Cessna F172N with registration EC-EQG departed Sabadell Airport at 16:45 local time for a dual-command training flight. The flight plan included a stop at Igualada Aerodrome, a private uncontrolled field used for training. The aircraft was powered by a single Lycoming O-320-H2AD engine. The pilot in command was a 21-year-old commercial pilot with 615:18 total flight hours, including 550:00 hours on type. The flight was conducted under visual flight rules with an instructor and student aboard. At Igualada, the crew performed two spirals over runway 17, a takeoff and landing, and a simulated engine failure in climb. After a 180-degree left turn to align with runway 35, the aircraft was displaced to the left of the runway centerline. The pilot reported a tailwind gust as the cause, though meteorological data indicated winds of 10-15 knots from 160-170 degrees, which were nearly parallel to the runway and acting as a tailwind for the intended landing direction. The instructor took control and applied maximum power to abort the landing, but the aircraft failed to regain altitude. The crew decided to land, and the aircraft touched down outside the left runway strip. During the taxi toward runway 35, the landing gear struck a longitudinal drainage ditch located at the strip's boundary, causing the aircraft to overturn at approximately 17:45. The final position was about 350 meters from the runway 35 threshold and 20 meters from the runway edge. Both occupants exited the aircraft through the broken windshield and were uninjured. The aircraft sustained significant damage, including a deformed propeller, engine damage, a broken nose gear fork, and extensive structural deformation to the wings, fuselage, and tail assemblies. The aerodrome had recently undergone construction to widen the runway and adjust thresholds, with final earthworks completed on August 5, 2003. The runway and strip dimensions met ICAO Annex 14 standards for reference code 1A.