Forced Landing of Piper PA-28 181 HK1894 in Chía, Colombia

Incident Overview and Flight Details On August 10, 2017, at 14:15 local time, a Piper PA-28 181 with registration HK1894 made a forced landing at the Club Pueblo Viejo golf course in Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia. The aircraft was operated by ADEVIA S.A. and was conducting a visual flight rules (VFR) training flight. The flight was scheduled to include a cruise route from Guaymaral to Ibagué and Girardot, but this was canceled due to en-route cloud conditions. The crew subsequently conducted visual departures from Guaymaral and flew to the Zipaquirá area for training. After completing the training, they returned to Guaymaral aerodrome for touch-and-go exercises. During the first exercise, while completing the right crosswind leg, the aircraft experienced a sudden engine failure. The pilot instructor attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful, leading to a controlled emergency landing in the golf course. During the landing maneuver, the aircraft struck a tree with its right wing, causing significant damage to that component before coming to a stop. Both occupants, a pilot instructor and a student pilot, evacuated the aircraft unassisted and were uninjured. The aircraft sustained major damage to the right wing, which was completely detached from the root, as well as damage to the lower right fuselage, detachment of the nose gear, and deformation of the engine mount. These damages were attributed to the tree impact and the subsequent ground drag. The investigation determined that the accident was caused by poor maintenance practices, specifically the use of non-aeronautical material not recommended by the manufacturer in the fuel connections, and the disconnection of the fuel hose from the engine carburetor (Fuel Inlet Connection), which resulted in the engine failure. The aircraft was later transported to the main base at Guaymaral airport, and its technical documentation was placed under custody. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was notified as the state of manufacture and designated an accredited representative to assist in the investigation conducted by the Grupo de Investigación de Accidentes (GRIAA).