What happened
On a daylight flight, a LV-GGH Piper PA-18 operated by a private owner experienced an abnormal runway contact during its landing phase. The incident occurred at an aerodrome located at coordinates 43:05:17 South and 71:28:43 West in Argentina. The aircraft impacted the grass surface at a low speed of 20 knots with wings level and nose attitude neutral. Following the impact, the pilot escaped within one minute. The event was classified as substantial damage with one minor injury reported to the crew member on board.
The investigation
The Joint Transportation Safety Board (JST) reviewed the preliminary data regarding this non-commercial operation. The aircraft, a 1957 model with 2,924 total hours, was powered by a Lycoming engine and equipped with a Sensenich propeller. Maintenance documentation was current, and the airworthiness certificate was valid at the time of the occurrence. Weather conditions were visual meteorological (VMC) with no significant wind intensity recorded. The pilot held a private license with 490 total hours and 19 hours on type.
Findings
The primary causal factor identified was landing judgment by the flight crew. The abnormal contact with the runway surface led to the substantial damage of the airframe. No mechanical failures or system malfunctions were indicated in the preliminary findings, pointing instead to operational factors during the final approach and touchdown.