What happened
On October 13, 2023, at approximately 16:50 local time, a Cessna A150K, registration HK1460G, was conducting a dual-instruction flight at Matecaña International Airport in Pereira, Colombia. The flight, which included a flight instructor and a student pilot, had previously performed touch-and-go maneuvers at El Edén International Airport in Armenia before returning to Pereira for a full landing.
During the landing phase on runway 08, the aircraft was following the established glide path. As the crew initiated the flare at low airspeed, a strong crosswind gust pushed the aircraft to the right of the runway centerline. The crew attempted to correct the deviation by applying maximum power and left rudder; however, a subsequent downward gust occurred while the aircraft was at a very low altitude. This resulted in a loss of control and a hard impact with the terrain in the grassy area adjacent to the right side of the runway. The impact caused the engine to stop abruptly and resulted in significant structural damage to the aircraft, including damage to the propeller, nose gear separation, and wing damage.
The investigation
The GRIAA investigation established that the aircraft was airworthy and maintained according to regulations. The crew was found to be technically and physically fit for the flight, with no evidence of fatigue or impairment. The investigation focused on the flight dynamics during the final moments of the approach and the crew's response to the changing wind conditions.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was a loss of control during landing caused by a crosswind gust that was not adequately countered by the crew.
- The crew failed to recognize that the aircraft had entered an unstabilized approach condition and continued the landing instead of performing a go-around.
- The flight instructor demonstrated low situational awareness by failing to take necessary corrective actions to stabilize the aircraft when the student pilot's management of the crosswind was insufficient.
- The aircraft sustained substantial damage, including a broken windshield, deformed cabin structure, and damage to the landing gear and wings.
Safety action
- The flight school is advised to implement and teach the concept of stabilized approaches, emphasizing the mandatory execution of a go-around if specific parameters are not met.
- Instructors should be reinforced on the necessity of maintaining high situational awareness during all phases of instruction to promptly correct student errors.