What happened
During an arrival at Bucaramanga-Palonegro Airport, a four-engine airplane experienced a heavy touchdown on the runway. The aircraft underwent several bounces before finally settling on the final third of the available runway surface. Recognizing that the remaining distance was insufficient to bring the plane to a complete stop, the pilot attempted to steer the aircraft away from the active runway.
As the pilot executed a sharp right-hand turn to exit the pavement, the nose gear and the left main landing gear both collapsed under the stress. This structural failure caused the left engines to make contact with the ground. The aircraft subsequently exited the runway and came to a halt. Despite the significant impact, all 22 occupants were successfully evacuated from the plane without injury.
Findings
- The aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss.
- The primary factor in the excursion was the collapse of the landing gear during an emergency maneuver to avoid overrunning the runway.