What happened
On the morning of the incident, a charter flight operated by NASL departed Kiunga Airport in the Western Province, bound for Tekin Airstrip in Sandaun Province. The aircraft, registration P2-BWC, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, arrived in the Tekin circuit area at 09:40. During the final approach, the pilot configured the aircraft with full flaps and maintained an airspeed of approximately 80 knots. The pilot reported encountering a downdraft shortly before touchdown.
The aircraft touched down at 09:43 at a speed of roughly 75 knots, approximately 3 meters before the edge of the runway boundary. During the landing roll, the left main landing gear assembly failed. This failure caused the left wing to drop and the aircraft to veer toward the eastern edge of the airstrip. During the excursion, the left wingtip made contact with the wreckage of another Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, registration P2-BWE, which had been involved in a similar accident in January 2022. This impact caused the aircraft to veer further left, eventually leading the nose-wheel and right main wheel to bog into the ground. Following the impact, the pilot shut down the engine and evacuated all seven people on board, consisting of one pilot and six passengers. There were no injuries reported, though the aircraft suffered significant damage.
Findings
Investigation into the accident determined that the left main landing gear attachment bolts snapped due to extreme impact stress. This stress was caused by a reduced damping effect from either the tire or the oleo strut during the landing impact. This mechanical failure led to the collapse of the gear assembly and the subsequent runway excursion.