2003 Piper PA-28-181 incident at Zaragoza Airport (EC-DKC)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On 3 July 2003, a Piper PA-28-181 with registration EC-DKC, powered by a single Lycoming O-360-A4M engine, was involved in an incident at Zaragoza Airport. The aircraft was operating a non-commercial general aviation pleasure flight. The pilot, a 35-year-old private pilot with 56 total flight hours, was the sole occupant and was uninjured. ## Operational Context and Meteorological Conditions The aircraft had taken off from runway 30R to perform a series of takeoffs and landings. During the initial climb, the pilot noted a crosswind pushing the aircraft to the left. The pilot stabilized at 2,000 feet, where the aircraft began to climb slightly, requiring a power reduction to maintain altitude. Prior to landing, the pilot contacted the controller and was cleared for a takeoff and landing on runway 30R with an indicated wind of 300° at 10 knots. The pilot elected to use 25° of flaps and a speed of 80 knots, slightly above the recommended 75 knots. ## Sequence of Events During the approach, the pilot reported that the wind pushed the aircraft to the left, requiring continuous heading corrections to maintain centerline. Shortly before the intended flare, the pilot perceived an increased rate of descent and the aircraft moving toward the ground, despite a speed of 70 knots. The pilot flared just before contact, but the landing was not smooth, resulting in a bounce. A second flare was also executed just before contact, leading to another bounce. On the third attempt, the aircraft remained on the ground. The pilot then found that directional control via the rudder pedals was lost. After the aircraft stopped, the pilot observed that the propeller blades were bent, leading to the deduction that the nose gear had been damaged. ## Damage and Aftermath The propeller blades were bent backward for approximately 15 cm from their tips due to contact with the runway pavement. The nose gear fork was broken at the wheel axle, allowing the wheel to detach, and exhibited lateral deformation. No other damage occurred. The pilot notified the control tower, and fire services quickly arrived to remove the aircraft. The runway was closed for 15 minutes, causing a 10-minute delay to a transport aircraft departure. ## Maintenance and Airworthiness The aircraft held a valid Certificate of Airworthiness until 19 May 2004. Its maintenance history included a Type D (1000-hour) check on 5 May 2001, a Type C (500-hour) check on 14 May 2002, and several Type B (100-hour) checks in 2002 and 2003. At the time of the incident, the aircraft had 36 hours remaining until its next 1000-hour check. ## Meteorological Data METAR reports from Zaragoza Airport before and after the incident indicated winds from 310° at 13 knots at 16:30 UTC and 14 knots at 17:00 UTC. Visibility was greater than 10,000 meters, with 1 to 2 octas of clouds at 4,000 feet. The temperature decreased from 27°C to 26°C, and the QNH remained at 1,016 hPa.