What happened
On March 15, 2010, a Piper PA-38, registration CS-DIM, operated by Aero Clube de Coimbra, arrived at the Ponte de Sor aerodrome for a scheduled navigation training flight. The flight, consisting of an instructor and a student pilot, proceeded according to plan until the arrival phase. Upon approaching the aerodrome, the crew observed visual markings on the runway indicating a closure.
Despite the presence of these markings, the instructor performed a low pass to check for obstacles and subsequently decided to proceed with the landing. The pilot utilized the landing to demonstrate an engine failure simulation and an emergency landing technique to the student. The aircraft landed between the threshold and the midpoint of runway 02/20. The runway was actually closed for maintenance works, and while visual markings had been installed, the crew was unaware of the official runway closure.
The investigation
The GPIAAF investigation focused on why the crew was unaware of the runway status. The investigation established that the Director of the Ponte de Sor aerodrome had followed the correct procedures to request a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) to close the runway due to ongoing construction. However, a breakdown occurred in the dissemination of this information.
While the aerodrome director had sent the request to the National Civil Aviation Institute (INAC), the investigation found that the resulting NOTAMs were not appearing in the Pre-flight Information Bulletins (PIB) provided to the investigators or likely to the pilots. Although the aerodrome director had confirmed the publication of the NOTAM on the official website before placing physical markings, the information was not reaching the aeronautical information services (AIS) in a way that ensured its availability to general aviation pilots.
Findings
- The crew of CS-DIM was unaware that the destination aerodrome was closed to aeronautical navigation.
- The aerodrome director had correctly followed the legal requirements for notifying authorities of the works and had requested the necessary NOTAMs.
- There was a deficiency in the dissemination of aeronautical information, with discrepancies between the information issued by authorities and the information actually published in the PIBs.
- The pilot in command failed to follow ICAO standards; upon encountering a closed runway, the pilot should have aborted the landing and proceeded to an alternate aerodrome to avoid endangering persons or property on the ground.
- The physical markings used to indicate the closure were made of removable material, which may have affected their visibility or stability.