Incident Overview
On October 16, 2024, a Cessna 152 (registration YS-115PE) operated by Escuela de Aviación Panal was conducting a training flight at Aeropuerto Internacional de Ilopango, El Salvador. The aircraft was being used for a student pilot's first solo flight after completing three touch-and-go exercises with an instructor earlier that day.
Sequence of Events
The flight began normally with routine checks and straight-and-level flight. The student pilot was notified of a change in wind direction. During the landing approach, the pilot followed the manual procedure at approximately 70 knots with flaps set to 10 degrees. However, a tailwind caused the aircraft's nose to drop. The pilot increased power to correct, but another tailwind gust lowered the nose again, resulting in a hard impact of the nose landing gear against the runway. The impact fractured the nose gear and caused the aircraft to bounce, leading to the accident.
Damage
The accident caused structural damage to the fuselage, including stress marks, dents, and cracks in the rear windshield. The nose landing gear mount suffered structural failure, and the main landing gear showed impact and stress damage. The engine mount was damaged, and the propeller blades were deformed due to impact with the runway. No fire occurred.
Injuries
The student pilot, Roberto Federico Fuentes Mayen, was uninjured. No other persons were on board. There were no injuries to ground personnel or damage to other structures.
Meteorological Information
Weather conditions were favorable. The investigation confirmed a change in wind direction, which was considered a contributing factor.
Investigation
The accident was investigated by the Departamento de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes of the Autoridad de Aviación Civil (AAC) of El Salvador. The aircraft had a valid airworthiness certificate and had undergone a 50-hour inspection on September 21, 2024. The student pilot held a valid student pilot license with 23 total flight hours, all on the Cessna 152.