What happened
On April 5, 2001, a Piper PA-22-108, registration OB-600, was conducting flight training operations at Chilca Airport in the Cañete province. The aircraft, operated by Felipe Caballero Uribe, had previously completed a successful one-hour instructional flight with an instructor on board.
During the subsequent solo flight, the student pilot was performing a local training mission. As the aircraft approached the final phase of landing on runway 19, the instructor communicated via radio that there was a wind of 06 knots from heading 230, warning of potential crosswind gusts. While the initial touchdown on the runway was normal, the aircraft experienced a sudden lateral shift to the left during the landing roll. This movement caused the pilot to lose control, resulting in the right wingtip striking the ground, followed by the left wing hitting the surface, which brought the aircraft to a stop.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events during the landing roll and the environmental conditions at the time of the incident. The authorities examined the flight's progression from the initial instructional flight to the solo flight and reviewed the radio communications between the instructor and the student pilot. The investigation also assessed the pilot's experience level, noting that the student pilot had a total of only 12 flight hours at the time of the occurrence.
Findings
- The aircraft sustained damage to both wings.
- The primary cause of the loss of control was a crosswind gust that destabilized the aircraft during the landing roll.
- The student pilot's lack of experience in managing a crosswind landing during a solo flight contributed to the inability to maintain directional control of the aircraft.