What happened
On July 27, 2002, at approximately 18:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registration EC-IBG, was performing a solo instructional flight from Valencia Airport to Murcia/San Javier Airport. As the student pilot was establishing contact with runway 05, a lateral wind gust struck the aircraft, causing it to deviate to the left.
The aircraft veered off the runway and traveled across the runway strip, where the left wing struck a distance indicator sign used exclusively by military aircraft. The impact caused structural deformations to the left wing, but the aircraft came to a stop without further incident. The pilot was uninjured.
The investigation
The investigation examined meteorological data from the period surrounding the event. METAR reports for 17:00, 18:00, and 19:00 local time indicated low wind speeds between 6 and 7 knots, with directions varying between 060° and 140°. Specifically, the 18:00 report showed a wind of 90° at 7 knots.
Calculations based on the runway alignment showed a headwind component of 5.36 knots and a crosswind component of 4.5 knots. Investigators determined that such low-intensity steady winds were unlikely to cause the observed deviation, suggesting the presence of a sudden wind gust. Furthermore, analysis of tire marks on the pavement revealed that upon touchdown, the pilot applied maximum braking to reduce kinetic energy but failed to attempt any directional correction to counteract the deviation.
Findings
- The primary cause of the deviation was a wind gust that pushed the aircraft off the runway centerline.
- The pilot's lack of experience prevented an adequate response to the sudden lateral movement.
- The pilot applied maximum braking immediately upon touchdown without attempting to correct the aircraft's lateral drift.