Factual Information
On 28 August 2025, at 10:56 local time, a Piper PA-34-200 aircraft, registration HK4850, experienced a nose landing gear collapse during the landing roll on runway 16 at Camilo Daza Airport in Cúcuta, Colombia. The aircraft was operating a non-scheduled air ambulance flight from Los Colonizadores de Saravena (SKSA) to Camilo Daza (SKCC), carrying six occupants: a pilot, a copilot, a doctor, a nurse, a patient, and a companion.
During the flight, the copilot was initially the pilot flying (PF), while the pilot served as pilot monitoring (PM). At approximately 1.5 nautical miles from the airport, the pilot took over the controls and performed the landing. The aircraft touched down about 212 meters from the threshold of runway 16. During the landing roll, at approximately 393 meters from the threshold, the nose landing gear retracted, causing the nose cone to contact the runway surface and drag for about 70 meters. The aircraft then came to a stop on the runway.
The crew shut down both engines and evacuated all occupants, who were uninjured and left the aircraft by their own means.
Field Investigation
Investigators conducted a visual inspection of the runway surface along the aircraft's path during the landing roll. Transfer marks, scratches, and contact traces were identified, georeferenced, and documented. The inspection also revealed undulations on the runway surface extending from the threshold of runway 16 to approximately 250 meters. No debris or fluid spills from the aircraft were observed on the runway. Photographic and video records were made.
After the aircraft was moved to a hangar, an external inspection was performed, covering the fuselage, wings, landing gear, propellers, and control surfaces. The cockpit controls and systems were checked, with the landing gear lever found in the down position. The inspection revealed deformation of propeller blades on both engines. Rivets securing the firewall reinforcement and the nose landing gear actuator guide support were found detached. Damage to the lower structure of the nose section was attributed to friction with the runway surface.
Functional tests of the landing gear actuation system confirmed it operated correctly for extension and retraction, and cockpit indications were normal.
Operational Information
Initial statements were obtained from both pilots regarding the landing sequence, perceptions of possible failures or anomalies, and decisions made. Investigators also collected GPS data records, the flight plan, the aircraft maintenance log, and preliminary operator reports. A portable GPS device used by the pilot as an auxiliary navigation aid was recovered and its data downloaded for analysis.
Pending Investigation Tasks
The investigation remains ongoing. Pending tasks include analysis of the runway condition and its possible relationship to the event, analysis of meteorological conditions to determine wind components, and evaluation of the operator's safety management system and the aerodrome operator's safety management system.