What happened
On September 10, 2022, a Cessna 150M, registration HK-5099G, was conducting a flight training mission on a route between Girardot and Neiva. The aircraft was operated by a flight training center with a student pilot as the sole occupant. After completing several takeoffs and landings in Neiva, the aircraft began its return flight toward Girardot.
While cruising at approximately 5,500 feet, about 42 nautical miles from Girardot, the aircraft experienced engine vibrations and a periodic loss of power. The engine power began oscillating between 1,500 and 2,500 RPM. The student pilot declared an emergency and attempted a quick magneto check; however, after switching to the left magneto, the RPM continued to drop, leading the pilot to forgo testing the right magneto for fear of a total engine failure.
Seeking a safe landing site, the pilot performed a controlled emergency landing in an unprepared field near the town of Natagaima. While the landing was controlled, the uneven terrain caused significant damage to the aircraft, including fractures to the nose gear and damage to the propeller spinner. The student pilot evacuated the aircraft without injury.
The investigation
The GRIAA investigation focused on the engine performance and the training oversight provided by the flight school. Investigators examined the engine through borescope inspections and bench tests, which ultimately ruled out mechanical failure or malfunctions in the engine or its accessories.
The investigation also scrutinized the flight school's management of the student's transition between aircraft types. It was established that the student had been transitioned from a Piper PA28 to the Cessna 150M without completing the required five hours of transition training, three of which were supposed to be conducted with an instructor. Furthermore, the investigation found that the flight school's auxiliary base in Flandes lacked sufficient maintenance and operational personnel and had been operating without a Safety Management System (SMS) Director for four months.