Flight History
On 6 October 2019, a Cessna 182P aircraft, registration HK5018, operated by America's Air SAS, conducted a scheduled flight from León Bentley Airport in Mitú (SKMU) to San José de Cananarí (SKNN), Vaupés. The aircraft carried two occupants: one pilot and one passenger, along with approximately 80 kg of cargo. The flight departed Mitú at 12:20 local time with 60 US gallons of fuel, providing an endurance of 4 hours. Weather conditions were visual and suitable for the flight.
At 12:58 local time, the aircraft began its approach to San José de Cananarí. The pilot completed checklists and executed a normal landing on runway 21 at 13:03 local time. Upon touchdown, the pilot felt a strike on the right main landing gear. After rolling approximately 110 meters, the pilot applied brakes, but directional control was lost. The aircraft veered left, departing the runway and coming to rest in the safety area about 10 meters from the runway edge.
Injuries
Both the pilot and passenger were uninjured and evacuated the aircraft unaided.
Aircraft Damage
The aircraft sustained substantial damage including a fractured nose landing gear, bent propeller blades from a sudden engine stoppage, a broken engine cowling, and a dented right wing tip. Examination revealed a fractured brake pressure line on the right main landing gear, with an apparent impact by a stone and evidence of brake fluid leakage. Minor damage was also noted to surrounding vegetation.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined the probable cause of the serious incident was the loss of directional control due to a brake system failure, resulting from a foreign object (FOD) striking the hydraulic brake fluid line of the right main landing gear; additionally, the poor condition of the safety area at San José de Cananarí runway, with uneven terrain and vegetation, aggravated the damage to the aircraft.