Introduction
On 24 August 2025, a Piper PA-28 Cherokee, registration CX-BAJ, experienced a landing accident at Aeropuerto Internacional Nueva Hespérides (SUSO) in Salto, Uruguay. The aircraft was on a private flight with the pilot and one passenger on board.
Flight History
The pilot, a Uruguayan male born in 1961, held a valid pilot license with single-engine land rating and had accumulated 149 total flight hours, 73 of which were on the PA-28 type. He had flown 4.6 hours in the previous 90 days and 28 minutes in the last 7 days. The passenger was a former pilot. The aircraft had a current airworthiness certificate and registration.
Accident Sequence
The aircraft landed on runway 05 during dusk under good weather conditions (CAVOK, wind 30006KT). After touchdown, it rolled normally on the centerline for more than 400 meters over approximately 9 seconds. White smoke then appeared from under the aircraft. The plane veered left, the right wing tip contacted the concrete runway surface, and the aircraft exited the left side of the runway onto grass. During the excursion, the nose gear fractured. The nose then impacted the soft ground, and the spinner dug in, causing the aircraft to stop abruptly. It then settled back onto its main landing gear, coming to rest 25 meters from the runway. No fire occurred. The airport controller activated the alarm; airport personnel and firefighters responded but the fire truck did not proceed to the scene. The pilot and passenger evacuated the aircraft unharmed. The passenger reported a minor foot bump but did not require medical attention.
Aircraft Damage
The aircraft sustained substantial damage. Structural damage included broken engine mounts, a damaged propeller blade, and a fractured nose gear assembly. The steering linkage to the right rudder pedal separated when the nose gear broke.
Brake System Findings
The PA-28 Cherokee CX-BAJ was equipped with a manual brake system operated by a lever under the instrument panel, different from typical Cherokees. This lever controls both main wheel brakes and includes a trigger that functions as a parking brake. Examination of the brake system revealed that a spring (part #19) on the parking brake trigger was missing. In video surveillance footage, white smoke was observed under the aircraft after landing. The following day, brake marks without side skidding were visible on the runway. The pilot stated he did not apply the brakes and that the passenger did not interfere with the controls.
Other Information
The pilot's logbook was complete but not fully updated; the last entry was dated 15 June 2025. The aircraft had flown 16 hours since January 2025. No prior accidents involving the pilot or aircraft were recorded. The airport infrastructure was not damaged.