Accident Overview
A Douglas DC-3 experienced an accident during takeoff from runway 03 at Barrancabermeja Airport. The takeoff commenced at 15:57 local time.
Sequence of Events
After traveling 250 meters, the aircraft began to veer left of the runway centerline, then swerved to the right. At 490 meters, the DC-3 departed the runway, corrected its direction, crossed the centerline again, and entered the left-hand safety strip. The pilot maneuvered to avoid the T wind indicator, which led the aircraft onto the parking apron. The pilot applied full power while aligning the aircraft parallel to the main runway. The starboard wingtip scraped the apron surface, causing the aircraft to bounce multiple times. Subsequently, the pilot decided to take off from the apron and attempted to lift off after an additional 258-meter run, but the aircraft had not achieved sufficient speed. The wingtip struck two helicopters on the ground, one of which was a Hiller UH-12 (registration HK-781E). The tail skid and cone then impacted a fuel tank at the apron's edge. The aircraft cartwheeled 180 degrees to port and came to rest in a depression 30 meters deep, located 120 meters from the northern edge of the apron.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the main cause of the accident was faulty piloting, specifically poor flight technique during takeoff and overcontrol of the aircraft throughout the 1169.70 meters covered. The pilot exercised faulty judgment in attempting to take off outside the main runway 03 in use at the time. A contributing factor was faulty dispatching of the aircraft, as its center of gravity was outside the aft limit for takeoff with maximum load at Barrancabermeja Airport.