Forced Landing of Piper PA 34-200 HK 4960G in Bolombolo, Colombia (HK4960)

Incident Overview and Flight History On 18 October 2018, a Piper PA 34-200 with registration HK 4960G departed Quibdó (SKUI) at 17:10 local time for Medellín (SKMD) under visual flight rules. The aircraft carried one pilot and one passenger. At 17:40 local time, while over Fredonia at 12,000 feet, air traffic control instructed the pilot to proceed to the alternate aerodrome at Rionegro (SKRG) because the destination airport was about to close for sunset. ## Engine Failure and Forced Landing During the climb to 13,000 feet, the pilot observed low RPM and malfunction of the right engine. The aircraft could no longer maintain the required altitude. The pilot reported the engine failure and requested to continue to the original destination, but with only one engine operating, the aircraft could not maintain a safe altitude for the remainder of the flight. At 18:05 local time, the pilot elected to land in a known unprepared field near Bolombolo, Antioquia, in low-visibility conditions. ## Outcome and Investigation Findings The landing was controlled, but during the rollout the aircraft drifted to the right and the right wing struck a tree, causing substantial damage. The pilot and passenger were uninjured and evacuated the aircraft under their own power. The investigation identified the probable causes as a landing on a short, unsuitable unprepared runway in low visibility after sunset, due to the aircraft’s inability to maintain a safe altitude to the alternate aerodrome following right-engine failure, and an engine failure resulting from inadequate maintenance that had not properly corrected an oil leak reported days earlier. Contributing factors included deficient flight planning by the pilot and incorrect action by Quibdó air traffic services in accepting a flight plan with insufficient time to reach the destination before its daytime-only operating hours ended.