What happened
On November 27, 2023, a Hamilton Vans RV-6A, registration LV-X429, was conducting a local training flight when it experienced an abnormal contact with the runway at General Rodríguez Aerodrome. During the landing phase, the aircraft bounced up to three times. These successive impacts caused the nose landing gear to collapse, resulting in the propeller striking the ground and the aircraft skidding along the runway. The aircraft eventually came to a stop approximately 274 meters before the end of the runway. The incident resulted in one serious injury to the pilot, though there were no fatalities.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the runway conditions and the pilot's approach. At the time of the accident, the threshold for runway 17 had been displaced by 700 meters due to ongoing construction, which reduced the available landing distance to only 840 meters. While a NOTAM had been published regarding this displacement, the pilot had never operated on this specific displaced threshold before, having used the opposite end of the runway on a previous flight.
Investigators found that the aircraft was airworthy and maintained according to manufacturer specifications, with no mechanical failures identified. The pilot reported that during the approach, they extended the initial phase of the circuit to accommodate another aircraft in the area. Upon realizing the aircraft was falling short of the displaced threshold, the pilot increased power to clear obstacles, a maneuver that contributed to the unstable landing.
Findings
- The primary cause of the nose gear failure was the abnormal contact and successive bounces on the runway.
- The available runway length was significantly reduced due to the displaced threshold.
- The pilot lacked recent flight experience, having flown only 17 hours in the previous 90 days and only 0.5 hours in the 30 days preceding the event.
- The pilot's lack of familiarity with the specific displaced threshold conditions influenced the landing execution.