Cessna 303 Crusader

The pilot, sole on board, departed Flandes-Santiago Vila Airport runway 02 at 1257LT on a flight to Guaymaral in Bogotá. En route, weather conditions worsened and the visibility was poor. While cruising at an altitude of 9,260 feet, the twin engine airplane impacted trees and crashed in a wooded and hilly terrain located near Bojacá. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and the pilot was killed.

The twin engine airplane departed Marseille-Provence Airport on a private flight to Annecy. En route, while cruising at FL110, the pilot was informed about the weather conditions at destination with a braking coefficient considered as medium due to a wet runway. After being cleared to land on runway 04, the pilot continued the approach but landed half way down the runway at a speed of 119 knots. After touchdown, he initiated the braking procedure but the airplane suffered an aquaplaning and was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran, impacted an embankment, went trough a fence and came to rest on a road. While both passengers aged 26 and 28 were slightly injured, the pilot aged 70 was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

After flying one flight leg earlier in the day, the pilot flew to an intermediate stop on the way to his home base to purchase fuel. A surveillance video recording from the fueling airport showed the airplane land and taxi to the self-serve fuel pump where the engines were shut down for about 10 minutes while the airplane was fueled. The pilot then had difficulty starting both engines over several minutes. After the engines were running, the airplane taxied to the runway and did not appear to stop for an engine run-up. The pilot performed a rolling takeoff, and the airplane lifted off after a roll of about 2,100 ft, slightly more than half the available runway length. A passenger reported that after liftoff, at an altitude of about 50 to 100 ft above ground level (agl), both engines lost partial power and began “stuttering,” which continued for the remainder of the flight. He further reported that the engines did not stop, but they were “not producing full RPM.” The airplane drifted left of centerline, which a witness described as a left yawing motion. The pilot corrected the drift and flew the runway heading over the grass on the left side of the runway; however, the airplane would not climb. After crossing the end of the runway, the pilot pitched the airplane up to avoid obstacles. Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast data indicated that the airplane climbed from about 20 to 120 ft agl in a gradual left turn. During this time the groundspeed decreased from about 80 knots to about 69 knots. The altitude then decreased to about 50 ft agl, the groundspeed decreased to about 66 knots, and the left turn decreased in radius until the recorded data ended about 100 ft west of the accident site. The airplane descended and
impacted a house. Witness descriptions of the airplane yawing to the left while over the runway and again during its final left turn suggest that the loss of engine power may not have been symmetric (that is, one engine may have suffered more of a loss than the other).

Before the air taxi flight, the commercial pilot obtained a weather briefing via the company computer system and reviewed the weather information with the company chief pilot. The pilot stated that based on the computer briefing, which did not include icing conditions, he was aware of the forecasted weather conditions along the route of flight and at the intended destination. However, the briefing was incomplete as it did not contain any in-flight weather advisories, which would have alerted the pilot of moderate icing conditions expected over the flight route in the form of AIRMET Zulu. After takeoff and during the climb to 12,000 ft mean sea level (msl), the airplane encountered light rime ice, and the pilot activated the de-ice equipment with no issues noted. After hearing reports of better weather at a lower altitude, the pilot requested a descent to between 5,000 and 6,000 ft. During the descent to 6,000 ft msl and with the airplane clear of ice, the airplane encountered light to moderate icing conditions. The pilot considered turning back to another airport but could not get clearance until the airplane was closer to his destination. Shortly thereafter, the pilot stated that it felt “like a sheet of ice fell on us” as the airplane encountered severe icing conditions. The pilot applied full engine power in an attempt to maintain altitude. The airplane exited the overcast cloud layer about 500 ft above ground level. The pilot chose to execute an off-airport emergency landing because the airplane could not maintain altitude. During the landing, the landing gear separated; the airplane came to rest upright and sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that the airplane was within its maximum gross weight. Structural icing was observed on the airframe after the landing. Based on the weather information, which indicated the probability of icing between 5,000 and 9,000 ft over the region and a high threat of supercooled large droplets between 5,000 and 7,000 ft, it is likely that the airplane, which was equipped for flight in icing conditions, inadvertently encountered severe icing conditions consistent with supercooled large droplets, which resulted in structural icing that exceeded the airplane’s capabilities to maintain altitude.

The twin engine airplane departed Nuquí Airport at 1256LT on a flight to Quibdó, carrying two passengers and one pilot. Two minutes after takeoff, the pilot informed ATC he was flying at an altitude of 1,500 feet and estimated his ETA at Quibdó-El Caraño Airport at 1315LT. Nine minutes into the flight, while cruising in IMC conditions, the aircraft contacted trees and crashed in a dense wooded area located near Serranía del Baudó, some 50 km north of Nuquí. SAR operations were initiated but the wreckage was found five days later only. Both passengers, a female aged 18 and her baby aged 8 months were evacuated with minor injuries while the pilot was killed. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces.

Following an uneventful flight from Cannes-Mandelieu Airport, the pilot initiated the approach to Barcelonnette-Saint-Pons Airport Runway 27. Following an unstabilized approach, the aircraft landed hard, causing the left main gear to collapse. The aircraft veered off runway to the left, lost its right main gear and came to rest. There was no fire. All five occupants escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft was on a VFR flight from Dinan, France, to Jersey, Channel Islands and had joined the circuit on right base for Runway 09 at Jersey Airport. The aircraft turned onto the runway heading and was slightly left of the runway centreline. It commenced a descent and a left turn, with the descent continuing to 100 ft. The pilot made a short radio transmission during the turn and then the aircraft’s altitude increased rapidly to 600 ft before it descended and disappeared from the radar. The aircraft probably stalled in the final pull-up manoeuvre, leading to loss of control and impact with the sea, fatally injuring those on board, Carl Whiteley and his wife.

During takeoff, one witness noted that at least one engine seemed to be running rough and not making power. Several other witnesses, located about 1/2 mile northwest of the airport, observed the accident airplane pass overhead in a right turn. They reported that the engine noise did not sound normal. Two of the witnesses noted grayish black smoke emanating from the airplane. The airplane then rolled left and descended nose down into the front yard of a residence. Review of maintenance records revealed the airplane underwent an annual inspection and extensive maintenance about 3 months prior to the accident. One of the maintenance issues was to troubleshoot the right engine that was reportedly running rough at cruise. During the maintenance, the right engine fuel pump, metering valve, and fuel manifold were removed and replaced with overhauled units. Additionally, the right engine fuel flow was reset contrary to procedures contained in an engine manufacturer service information directive; however, the fuel pump could not be tested due to thermal damage and the investigation could not determine if the fuel flow setting procedure contributed to the loss of power on the right engine. On-scene examination of the wreckage and teardown examination of both engines did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Teardown examination of the right propeller revealed that the blades were not at or near the feather position, which was contrary to the emergency procedure published by the manufacturer, to secure the engine and feather the propeller in the event of an engine power loss. The right propeller exhibited signatures consistent with low or no power at impact, while the left propeller exhibited signatures consistent of being operated with power at impact.

Sole on board, the pilot was performing an illegal flight with a bag containing 25 kg of cocaine. While trying to land on a private airstrip in Punta Ocote, the twin engine aircraft hit tree tops and crashed on a road, killing an 18 years old motorcyclist. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire and the pilot escaped uninjured.