Piper PA-28-180 Runway Excursion During Touch-and-Go Training at SKGY (HK1577)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On August 26, 2015, a Piper PA-28-180 with registration HK1577G was scheduled for a training flight involving touch-and-go maneuvers at Flaminio Suárez Camacho Aerodrome (SKGY) in Guaymaral, Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia. The aircraft, owned by ISRAEL CORPORATION S.A.S and operated by AEROANDES S.A., was piloted by a single student pilot. The aircraft was a 1978 model equipped with a Lycoming O-360-A3A engine and a Sensenich 76EM85-5-0-60 propeller. At the time of the incident, the aircraft had a total of 16,905.20 flight hours, and its airworthiness certificate was valid. The last maintenance service was performed on August 19, 2015, and no mechanical issues were found to have contributed to the incident. The student pilot, aged 20, held a valid medical certificate and had a total of 61.42 flight hours, with 24.06 hours in the same aircraft type. The pilot had recently completed ground school with an average grade of 92.30% and had received minor instructor notes regarding attention during turns and speed control during maneuvers. The pilot was in optimal health and had authorization from the instructor for the planned training. ## Sequence of Events and Impact The aircraft took off from runway 11 at 09:06 local time (14:06 UTC) and completed three touch-and-go circuits without incident. During the fourth maneuver, the aircraft experienced a runway excursion. The student pilot reported attempting to maintain directional control but noted a skid to the right during the final approach. The pilot applied left rudder as a mitigation measure, which was ineffective, causing the aircraft to deviate to the left. The pilot then reduced power before the excursion, resulting in damage to the throttle lever. The aircraft came to a stop 25 meters from the edge of runway 11/29 at coordinates N04°48'50.23''/W074°4'11.67'', near the PAPI light system, which was not damaged. Field inspection revealed skid marks 194 meters from the runway threshold and impact signs against the drainage ditch, with the excursion ending 303 meters from the threshold. The nose landing gear fractured, and the propeller stopped suddenly with signs of bending at low RPMs on both blades. The student pilot sustained minor injuries and exited the aircraft independently. Aerodrome fire services attended the emergency, and no post-incident fire occurred. Weather conditions were visual meteorological conditions (VMC) at the time. ## Investigation Findings and Probable Cause The investigation determined that the serious incident occurred due to the loss of directional control of the aircraft during taxiing on the runway. This was likely caused by the student pilot's lack of experience in executing touch-and-go maneuvers, as well as periods of low continuity during the maneuver phase, where flight training was conducted by multiple instructors. The aircraft's brakes and nose wheel steering system were inspected after the incident and found to be functioning optimally, with no evidence of overheating or mechanical restrictions. The aerodrome's runway, 1,720 meters long and 20 meters wide, was determined to have no relation to the runway excursion. The aircraft was not equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder, as these are not required for this type of aircraft under Colombian aviation regulations. The incident resulted in minor damage to the aircraft, including a sudden engine stop, fractured nose landing gear, deformed propeller blades, a dent in the lower engine cowling, deformation of the left wingtips, and a fractured throttle lever. No other damages were reported.