Preliminary Report: Short Landing of Piper PA-32-300 at Higuerote National Airport (YV2553)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On February 1, 2020, at 16:15 UTC, a Piper Aircraft PA-32-300 with registration YV2553 and serial number 327640125 made a short landing on the grass area of runway 08 at Higuerote National Airport (SVHG) in Miranda State, Venezuela. The aircraft, owned by Henry Angelo Tondolo Garcia, was operating under a local flight plan with one person on board and 90 lb of fuel. The incident occurred during the return from a search and rescue (SAR) support mission in the landing phase. The occupant was uninjured, and the aircraft sustained no damage. The aircraft was manufactured by Piper Aircraft and held a Type Certificate A3SO_Rev_33 issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). At the time of the event, the aircraft was airworthy according to its valid certificate of airworthiness issued by the state of registry and its maintenance records. ## Pilot Credentials and Investigation Activities The 65-year-old pilot in command held a medical certificate and a Commercial Pilot License issued by the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC), the aeronautical authority of the state of registry. The medical certificate expired on February 19, 2020, and the license expired on July 30, 2020. The pilot held ratings for single-engine land aircraft, including the C172, C182, C206, PA32, and M20P, with 1,400 hours as pilot in command in the involved model and 3,481.9 total hours. Investigative activities included interviewing the duty controller and the pilot in command, requesting relevant documentation, and conducting photographic documentation of the aircraft and the event site. The investigation was in the process of analyzing technical, operational, and documentary information. ## Preventive Measures and Notifications The Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Board (JIAAC) issued a preventive measure recommending verification of the pilot's competence in the PA-32-300 system. In accordance with Chapter 4 of Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the incident was reported to the ICAO ADREP system via form JIAAC 005/2020. The State of Design and State of Manufacture, the United States of North America, was notified by email. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), as the accident investigation authority for the state of design and manufacture, was also notified. This preliminary report was issued by the General Directorate of the Administrative Office of Transport Safety (Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Board) under the Ministry of Popular Power for Transport in Caracas on February 15, 2020. All times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), with Venezuela's local time being UTC-4:00.