Incident Overview
On July 30, 2007, at approximately 17:59 UTC (19:59 local time), a Cessna 305C with registration I-EIAZ experienced an accident while landing at Rieti Airport in Italy. The aircraft was operated by Aero Club Volovelistico Ferrarese for a local tourism flight, carrying a pilot and one passenger. Both individuals were uninjured following the event.
Operational Context
The incident occurred during the fifth World Gliding Championship, which took place at the airport from July 24 to August 10, 2007. Daily competition activities had concluded at 17:00 UTC. The pilot initiated a local flight shortly after this time. Although the pilot believed fire rescue services were still active due to the presence of parked vehicles, no specific authorization for non-competition traffic was confirmed, and radio contact with AFIS was not established effectively.
Sequence of Events
The aircraft took off from runway 34L at approximately 17:50 UTC. After performing local maneuvers, it landed on runway 16R, performed a back-track, and took off again from 34L. During the final approach to runway 34L, the pilot reported that the aircraft began a long yaw to the left due to incorrect control inputs. The pilot attempted to correct this using rudder and brakes, but the right main wheel detached from its strut. The aircraft came to a stop approximately 500 meters from the runway threshold, with the nose pointing 90 degrees to the left of the runway alignment.
Damage and Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that the primary cause was the pilot's improper execution of the landing maneuver. This error, combined with a minor crosswind component (approximately 5.8 knots), resulted in a significant left yaw. The lateral force caused the right main wheel to separate from the strut, leading to damage to the propeller, engine cowling, and the tip of the right wing. The aircraft had accumulated 3,211.55 total flight hours at the time of the incident.