Cessna 150K CP-911 Accident at Jorge Wilstermann Airport

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On September 15, 2018, a Cessna 150K aircraft, bearing the registration CP-911 and manufacturer serial number 15071836, was involved in an accident at Jorge Wilstermann Airport in Cochabamba, Bolivia. The aircraft, manufactured in 1970, was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A4M engine and equipped with a McCauley 1A170/EFA propeller. It was operated by the Civil Aviation Training Center (CIAC) Alas Beni Flight Center, based in Cochabamba, and owned by Vieri Paolo Lenaz Velasco. ## Flight Operations and Emergency Response The aircraft departed runway 22 at 09:53 local time for a local visual flight rules (VFR) training flight, with an estimated duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes. After approximately one hour of flight, the instructor requested to return to the airport for a full landing. During the initial landing attempt, the right main landing gear strut broke, and the wheel detached. The crew performed a go-around and notified the control tower on frequency 118.1. At 11:02, the pilot declared an emergency, reporting approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes of remaining fuel, and requested to orbit over Laguna Alalay to burn fuel. The airport's emergency operations center was activated at 11:05, and both runway pairs (04/22 and 14/32) were closed to allow the emergency aircraft to select a landing runway. ## Landing and Aftermath At 11:29, the pilot requested and was authorized to land on runway 22. The aircraft began its landing at 11:32. As it lost speed and lift, the nose gear lowered and the right wing dropped. The missing right main gear support struck the asphalt, causing the aircraft to rotate to the right and veer off the runway. It came to a stop 82.58 meters off the runway centerline, oriented at 010 degrees magnetic. The instructor and student evacuated the aircraft on their own without sustaining injuries. Fire and rescue personnel immediately applied foam and water to the aircraft to prevent a fire. The emergency alert was canceled at 11:37, and runway 14/32 was reopened for holding traffic. The runway was inspected and cleared for operations at 12:07. ## Damage and Personnel The investigation found irreparable damage to the right main landing gear, specifically a fracture in the middle of the spring assembly strut. No other damage was reported. The pilot in command was a 29-year-old Bolivian commercial pilot with multi-engine, IFR, and flight instructor ratings. His first-class medical certificate had expired 45 days before the accident. The student pilot was also Bolivian and held a valid student pilot license and medical certificate.