What happened
On August 19, 2010, a Piper PA-44/180T, registration CS-DGN, operated by Nortávia – Transportes Aéreos, SA, was involved in a hard landing at Aeródromo Municipal da Maia, Vilar da Luz. The incident occurred during a training flight following a navigation mission between Vilar da Luz and Viseu.
During the landing phase, the pilot allowed the airspeed to drop near the stall speed while maintaining a high rate of descent. The pilot attempted a late flare, resulting in a violent impact with the runway. The damage was not immediately identified, as no anomalies were recorded in the aircraft's technical log or flight diary following the event. The damage only became apparent the following day during a pre-flight inspection by a student pilot, who discovered deep cuts on a main tire and found that the passenger door would not close due to fuselage deformation.
The investigation
The GPIAAF investigation focused on the structural damage and the lack of reporting. Maintenance inspections revealed that the impact had caused significant skin buckling on both sides of the fuselage and deformation of the lower fuselage. Investigators found sheared rivets on the belly and deformation of the wing spars. Additionally, the right engine propeller showed signs of ground contact.
Upon examining the removed tire, technicians found that the cuts were caused by the brake disc, a direct result of the abnormal aircraft attitude during the impact. The investigation also noted that the pilot instructor had failed to notify maintenance of the severe landing.