Accident Overview
On August 17, 2014, at approximately 15:17 local time, a Piper PA-31-310 aircraft, registration HK4745, operated by Líneas Aéreas Galán LTDA (Aerogalan), was conducting a non-scheduled air taxi flight from Los Pozos Aerodrome in San Gil, Santander, Colombia, to Palonegro Airport in Bucaramanga. On board were two crew members and two passengers.
Events Leading to the Accident
Earlier that day, a community kite festival (XVII Festival del Viento y las Cometas) was taking place adjacent to the aerodrome. Despite an earlier denial of permission by the aviation authority to use the runway for the event, festival participants progressively encroached onto the runway, apron, and safety areas. A morning flight by another Aerogalan aircraft (HK4985) had reported the situation to the HK4745 crew, who requested police assistance to clear the area.
The HK4745 landed at Los Pozos around 13:05 without incident, carrying the Governor of Santander and his entourage. After disembarking, the aircraft remained on the apron surrounded by people. At approximately 14:45, the crew prepared for departure and again asked police to evacuate the runway and safety zones. The first officer remained on the ground to ensure a clear path before boarding.
The Accident
At about 15:00, the crew began taxiing. They observed the runway was mostly clear up to the midpoint, limited by the runway slope. After completing checklists, they commenced the takeoff roll on runway 35 at 15:17. During the takeoff run, before reaching rotation speed, the leading edge of the right wing struck a person on the ground, causing fatal injuries. The crew was unaware of the impact and continued the flight, climbing normally and switching to Bucaramanga approach frequency. They landed at Palonegro at 15:35.
Post-Accident Discovery
During parking, the first officer noticed the right wing leading edge was dented. After post-flight inspection, the crew found blood, a piece of blue cloth, and hair on the damaged area. The pilot contacted a police officer who had been a passenger to inquire about any incident in San Gil. Minutes later, confirmation was received that a person had been injured and later died.
Aircraft Damage
The aircraft sustained a dent on the right wing leading edge between station 239 and the wingtip (approximately 30 inches), damage to the beam former at station 239, damage to upper and lower stringers from station 160.5 to 239, damage to the vortex generator system, and damage to the right winglet.
Probable Cause
The investigation concluded that the probable cause of the accident was the deliberate incursion of people into the protected area of the aerodrome (safety zones), causing contamination of the runway that in turn produced fatal injuries to a person on the ground during the takeoff run of aircraft HK4745.