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| Date: | Sunday 1 January 2023 |
| Time: | 11:30 |
| Type: |  Cessna TU206G Stationair 6 |
| Owner/operator: | SAE (Servicios Aereos Especiales |
| Registration: | HK-2659 |
| MSN: | U20606608 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1982 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 9248 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental TSIO-520-M |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 9.9 nm ENE of La Primavera, Vichada -
 Colombia
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ambulance |
| Departure airport: | SKIM |
| Puerto Carreño-Germán Olano Airport (PCR/SKPC) | |
| Investigating agency: | Aerocivil |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft was scheduled to perform a flight between La Primavera Vichada Aerodrome (SKIM) and Germán Olano Aerodrome (SKPC).
Three occupants were on board the aircraft (a pilot, a doctor, and a nurse). The mission in Puerto Carreño was to pick up a patient and transport them to Villavicencio.
This leg of the flight was the second of the day; earlier, the aircraft had completed the Benito Salas (SKNV) to La Primavera (SKIM) route without any issues.
The plane took off from La Primavera - Vichada at 16:20 UTC, under visual conditions and visual flight rules. Approximately 5 minutes after takeoff, the pilot felt strong and rapid movements (forward and backward) of the control yoke, with the aircraft tending to pitch down. The pilot interrupted the climb at approximately 2,500 feet.
At the same time, the occupants alerted the pilot to a strong movement in the tail of the aircraft, accompanied by a very loud noise resembling metal striking metal, specifically on the right side of the elevator. The pilot decided to search for a suitable field and perform an emergency landing since the movements of the control yoke made the aircraft difficult to control.
Once a suitable field was located, the pilot made a right turn and lowered a flap setting on final approach. This action allowed for better control of the aircraft in the final segment and also reduced the strong movement of the control yoke.
The aircraft was landed in a controlled manner. The touchdown location was on flat terrain; however, there were numerous mounds of earth or termite mounds in the area. From the first contact with the ground, the aircraft traveled 12 meters and took off again, covering 26 meters. It landed on the ground once more and traveled 224 meters.
In the final part of the journey, the left main landing gear of the aircraft struck a termite mound, causing the aircraft to change the direction of its travel due to the pivot effect, abruptly turning to the left. This prevented the plane from colliding head-on with a two-meter-high earthen embankment and potentially crashing into a livestock watering hole approximately three meters deep.
As a result of the strong ground turn caused by the impact on the left main landing gear, the aircraft's nose gear detached, and with the inertia, it rotated 180 degrees. The engine detached from its mount, and finally, the aircraft rolled 180º on its lateral axis (flip), coming to a stop.
Probable Cause
- Decoupling (without detachment) of the right elevator trim tab, due to ductile fracture of the bracket assembly P/N: 1234009-6, as a result of differential aeration corrosion.
- Detachment of the nose landing gear and overturning of the aircraft during an emergency landing on an unprepared field, carried out due to difficulty in maintaining control of the aircraft in flight.
Contributing Factors
- Possible non-compliance with document SID 55-10-02, which requires a visual inspection every 5 years of the brackets “based on condition,” and possible development of various types of corrosion.
- Lack of a procedure in the Operator’s Maintenance Manual for inspecting this type of component and for limiting its service life, if necessary.
- Deficient inspection procedures in the manufacturer's manual, which does not provide a deeper non-destructive testing procedure for this type of component to ensure proper and safe operation.
- Insufficient knowledge of standard practices among the Operator’s maintenance personnel during inspection processes, particularly regarding the types of corrosion that affect materials.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
Aerocivil
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 23 November 2016 | HK-2659 | SAE Servicios Aéreos Especiales | 0 | Villavicencio Airport (VVC) | |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Jun-2023 09:45 | harro | Added |
| 12-Jun-2025 08:34 | ASN | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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