What happened
On August 20, 2021, a Piper PA 31-350, registration HK5087, was performing a non-scheduled passenger flight in Colombia. After completing several legs, the crew was assigned a new itinerary involving a flight from Cali to López de Micay.
During the approach to runway 09 at López de Micay, the crew identified a communication antenna obstructing their flight path. To avoid the obstacle, the pilot decided to execute a missed approach and transition to a right-hand circuit to land on runway 27. During this maneuver, the pilot retracted the landing gear and focused heavily on maintaining visual contact with the runway, which was surrounded by dense vegetation.
As the aircraft leveled off for the second approach on runway 27, the crew failed to extend the landing gear. Consequently, the propellers of both engines struck the runway surface. The pilot immediately applied power to execute a go-around. After verifying that engine parameters remained normal, the crew proceeded to Cali, where the aircraft landed safely. All 9 occupants (2 crew and 7 passengers) were uninjured.
The investigation
The GRIAA investigation focused on the operational procedures and the environmental factors at the López de Micay aerodrome. Investigators examined the crew's use of checklists and the operator's flight planning processes. The investigation also assessed the physical characteristics of the airfield, noting that the runway lacks safety zones and is surrounded by high vegetation and trees. Furthermore, the presence of a metallic communication tower near the runway threshold was identified as a significant operational hazard.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the propeller strike resulting from the failure to extend the landing gear, caused by non-compliance with standard landing checklists.
- The crew's attention was overly focused on maintaining visual contact with the runway due to unfamiliarity with the terrain, which led to a breakdown in Crew Resource Management (CRM).
- The operator failed to conduct a proper risk analysis of the López de an Micay aerodrome or provide adequate flight planning support for this specific destination.
- The presence of a communication antenna on the approach path for runway 09 forced the crew to change their landing configuration and disrupted their situational awareness.
- The operator's safety processes were weakened by a lack of oversight regarding the planning of unscheduled flight legs.