What happened
On February 25, 2023, a Piper PA3SB-200T, registration HK5025, was performing a non-scheduled air taxi operation at the Juan José Rondón Aerodrome (SKPA) in Paipa, Boyacá, Colombia. The flight, which had previously operated between Medellín and Pereira, was carrying three passengers and a two-person crew.
During the landing on runway 04, the crew noticed the aircraft tilting toward the left side immediately after touchdown. The pilot attempted to maintain directional control using rudder pedals and differential braking on the right wheel. However, the aircraft veered off the left side of the runway and entered the safety area, eventually coming to a stop in a drainage ditch approximately 45 meters from the runway centerline. The crew shut down the engines before the aircraft left the pavement, and all five occupants evacuated the aircraft without injury. The aircraft sustained significant damage to the main landing gear and the right flap.
The investigation
The GRIAA investigation focused on the mechanical state of the landing gear and the environmental conditions at the time of the incident. Investigators examined the maintenance records of the aircraft and found that while the aircraft was airworthy, the operator lacked traceability regarding the recent installation of the landing gear tires.
Technical analysis of the tires revealed that the left main tire had experienced a gradual loss of inflation pressure, likely due to a faulty valve core. Furthermore, the investigation examined the impact of high density altitude on the landing performance. The investigation also ruled out foreign object debris (FOD) as a cause for the tire failure, as no evidence of such objects was found on the runway.
Findings
- The primary cause of the excursion was the crew's difficulty in maintaining directional control due to the loss of inflation pressure in the left main tire.
- The separation of the tread from the right tire created excessive drag against the asphalt, further hindering the pilot's ability to steer the aircraft.
- A contributing factor was the high ground speed during the landing, resulting from high density altitude, which combined with the aircraft's weight to place additional stress on the right tire, causing the tread to detach.
- The investigation noted a lack of maintenance traceability regarding the installation of the tires by the operator.