Summary
On 12 September 2014, at approximately 15:17 UTC, a Piper PA-28-161 aircraft, registration HK2399, operated by Escuela de Aviación del Pacífico, was involved in a serious incident when it collided with terrain on Cerro Niza, in the municipality of Buga, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The aircraft was on a training flight with a single student pilot on board.
Flight History
The aircraft was scheduled for a training flight from Aeropuerto Alfonso Bonilla Aragón (Cali) to Aeropuerto de Santana (Cartago) and return. After completing takeoff and landing maneuvers in Cartago, the student pilot proceeded back to Cali. Near Tuluá, the control tower at Farfán Aerodrome requested the pilot to deviate east of the route due to other traffic. While executing the deviation, the pilot observed cloud cover and continued deviating, inadvertently entering a mountainous area at an altitude of 7,000 feet and on a heading of 185°. The pilot then found himself facing Cerro Niza in the Cordillera Central and opted to perform a tree landing. During the maneuver, the aircraft lost lift and crashed at coordinates N03°50'54" / W076°12'13".
Injuries and Damage
The student pilot exited the aircraft unaided with minor injuries and was rescued by a Colombian Air Force helicopter, then transported to a medical facility. No post-crash fire occurred. The aircraft sustained damage including dents on the leading edge, engine mount and nose gear fracture, cracked plexiglass, propeller deformation and material loss, a fractured right main landing gear leg, and evidence of sudden engine stoppage at low rotation.
Personnel Information
The student pilot was 29 years old, held a valid Student Pilot License, and had a total of 92:04 flight hours, with 51:48 hours on the PA-28. His medical certificate was valid until 19 May 2015.
Aircraft Information
The Piper PA-28-161 (serial 28-8016266) was manufactured in 1980, with a valid airworthiness certificate. It was equipped with a Lycoming O-320-D3G engine and a Sensenich propeller. The aircraft was maintained in accordance with regulations and had a maximum gross weight of 1,054 kg. It was configured for VFR flight with standard navigation and communication equipment.
Meteorological Information
At the time of the incident, weather conditions were partly cloudy with light winds in the Cauca River valley, with a probability of moderate, short-duration rain in mountainous areas. Satellite imagery showed cloud cover over the cordillera due to Pacific currents.
Navigation and Communications
No navigation aid failures were reported; the radio aids at Cali and Tuluá adequately covered the route. Communications between the aircraft and ATC were normal; the student pilot did not declare an emergency or report losing visual contact with the terrain until after the collision, when he reported that he "had fallen." ATC had requested the deviation but no radar vectors were provided.
Probable Cause
The investigation concluded that the probable cause of the serious incident was the in-flight collision of the aircraft with a hill in a mountainous area of the central cordillera, while the student pilot was flying under visual flight rules and inadvertently entered adverse meteorological conditions.