Piper PA-28-181 Runway Excursion at Armenia El Edén Airport (HK5082)

Incident Overview and Flight History On December 11, 2015, at 10:51 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 with registration HK5082G was conducting a local training flight at Armenia El Edén International Airport (SKAR) in Quindío, Colombia. The aircraft, owned and operated by Academia Antioqueña de Aviación (AAA), was carrying a single occupant: a 19-year-old student pilot holding a Student Pilot Airplane (APA) license. The flight was part of the student's pre-solo training process. The student pilot was authorized by El Edén Tower to commence the solo flight at 10:34 local time. Following two normal touch-and-go landings at 10:39:40 and 10:44:48 local time, the pilot was cleared to land on runway 20 for a full stop at 10:51:20 local time. ## Accident Sequence and Impact After touchdown, the aircraft crossed taxiway A and began to drift to the right of the runway centerline. The aircraft subsequently departed the runway laterally, traversed the safety area, and collided with a perimeter wall at 10:54:00 local time. The impact occurred 1,022 meters from the threshold of runway 20, after the aircraft had traveled 174 meters from the point of runway departure. The final resting position was recorded at coordinates N 04°27'05.78'' W 75°46'01.18'', located 43.64 meters perpendicular to the runway edge. ## Damage and Injuries The aircraft sustained substantial damage, including a destroyed propeller, a right wing detached at the root, and significant damage to the engine, fuselage, horizontal stabilizer, and cockpit. Approximately 5 square meters of the airport's perimeter wall collapsed. The sole occupant, the student pilot, was extracted by airport emergency services and transported to a medical center. The pilot sustained minor injuries, specifically a mild traumatic brain injury and a contusion to the left arm. No fire occurred before or after the impact. ## Investigation and Environmental Factors The accident occurred during daylight hours in visual meteorological conditions. Meteorological reports for the period indicated no adverse conditions or hazards to aviation. The aircraft was not equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder, as regulations did not require them. The investigation, conducted by the Grupo de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación (GRIAA), utilized security camera footage from the airport, which documented the taxiing, takeoffs, landings, and the final collision. The investigation also included the analysis of physical evidence, aircraft documents, and interviews with the pilot. The aircraft had a total of 3,998.38 flight hours, while its Lycoming O-360-A4A engine had 23,924.54 hours.