Accident Overview
On Wednesday, 17 September 2003 at 12:20 hours, a Piper PA-38-112, registration EC-DLB, was conducting touch-and-go landings on runway 25 at El Berriel Aerodrome in the southeast of Gran Canaria. The pilot, aged 32, held a private pilot license and had logged 160 total flight hours, with approximately 145 hours on the same aircraft type. The aircraft had a single Lycoming O-235-L2C engine. The flight originated from Tenerife Norte Airport with the pilot and one passenger on board; both occupants were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Sequence of Events
After arriving at El Berriel, the pilot performed the first touch-and-go normally. During the second landing, the aircraft's tail contacted the runway before the main wheels touched down. The aircraft immediately veered to the left, and by the time the main gear contacted the ground, the aircraft was off the runway. The pilot applied full power to go around, but the aircraft would not climb. He then aborted the takeoff, reduced power, and attempted to maintain control. However, the terrain was uneven, and the aircraft continued moving away from the runway until it struck a pile of rocks near the seashore and stopped.
Witness and Meteorological Information
A witness, the instructor on duty at the aerodrome, stated that during the second landing, the aircraft was configured with full flaps and maintained an excessive nose-high attitude throughout the flare. He observed the pilot increase engine power and attempt to go around as the aircraft veered left. The witness could not confirm whether the tail contacted the runway. Weather conditions were CAVOK, with wind from 160° at 3 knots.
Damage
The aircraft sustained significant damage to the propeller and spinner, lower engine cowling, engine, nose gear, firewall, left wing leading edge and aileron, aft fuselage station (with loss of the tail skid), and lower fairing of the vertical stabilizer. No other property was damaged.
Analysis
The analysis indicated that the excessive nose-high attitude during the flare caused the tail skid to strike the runway. The tail strike mark was found on the left side of the runway, on the side stripe marking, indicating the aircraft was offset from the runway centerline. The pilot may have approached at a slightly higher speed than the recommended 62 KIAS for a full-flap landing and increased pitch to reduce speed, leading to the extreme nose-up attitude. This attitude likely obstructed the pilot's forward visibility, contributing to the left deviation. After the tail strike, the pilot applied full power, but the aircraft did not achieve takeoff speed, possibly due to increased rolling resistance from uneven terrain and the full flaps configuration. Damage to the propeller blades, bent forward, indicated the engine was at full power when the propeller contacted the ground. The nose gear attachment failed during the off-runway travel, allowing the nose gear to fold backward and causing the propeller to strike the ground.
Probable Cause
The most probable cause of the accident was the excessive nose-high attitude of the aircraft during the flare for landing, which caused, on one hand, the contact of the tail skid mounted on the last section of the fuselage with the runway, and on the other hand, the loss of visual references, as a consequence of which the aircraft exited the runway and the pilot subsequently lost control.