What happened
On September 17, 2003, a PIPER PA-38-112, registration EC-DLB, was performing a series of takeoffs and landings at the El Berriel aerodrome on Gran Canaria. The flight, a non-commercial pleasure flight, originated from Tenerife Norte with a pilot and one passenger on board.
During the second landing attempt on runway 25, the aircraft's tail struck the runway surface before the main landing gear made contact with the pavement. This impact caused the aircraft to deviate to the left. Upon realizing the deviation, the pilot applied full power in an attempt to lift the aircraft back into the air. However, the aircraft failed to climb, likely due to the high drag from the full-flap configuration and the irregular terrain of the unpaved area. The pilot then reduced power to maintain control, but the aircraft continued to veer off the runway until it struck a mound of stones near the shoreline.
Both occupants of the aircraft were uninjured.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's impact marks and debris distribution. A mark on the left side of the runway, near the runway edge marking, indicated where the tail section had struck the ground. The investigation also noted that the propeller blades were deformed forward, confirming that the engine was at full power when the propeller struck the ground.
Witness testimony from an instructor on duty at the aerodrome indicated that the aircraft was configured with full flaps and maintained an excessively high nose attitude throughout the landing roll. The investigation also determined that the nose gear partially collapsed during the excursion, causing the nose to drop and the propeller to strike the terrain.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the excessive nose-high pitch attitude during the landing flare.
- This high pitch attitude caused the tail guard to strike the runway and led to a loss of visual references, resulting in the leftward deviation from the runway centerline.
- The pilot may have increased the pitch angle to reduce airspeed, as the approach speed may have been higher than the recommended 62 KIAS for a full-flap configuration.
- The aircraft failed to regain flight following the excursion because the irregular terrain increased rolling resistance, compounded by the drag of the full-flap setting.