Crash of a Douglas DC-3C near San Vincente del Caguán: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 8, 2014 at 1202 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
HK-4700
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Villavicencio – Florencia
MSN:
9700
YOM:
1943
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Captain / Total flying hours:
10233
Captain / Total hours on type:
9950.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
4417
Copilot / Total hours on type:
3812
Aircraft flight hours:
27771
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Villavicencio on a cargo flight to Florencia, carrying three passengers, two pilots and a load consisting of 2,540 kg of various goods. While cruising under VFR mode at an altitude of 6,500 feet, weather conditions worsened and the crew attempted to modify his route when the aircraft impacted ground and crashed in a wooded and mountainous area located some 45 km north of San Vincente del Caguán, near Uribe. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all five occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the accident was the consequence of a controlled flight into terrain. The crew failed to evaluate properly the risks and the danger of poor weather conditions and decided to perform the flight in VFR mode. While cruising in IMC and failing to check the minimum prescribed altitude, the crew suffered a loss of situational awareness, causing the aircraft to hit he mountainous terrain.
Final Report:

Crash of a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo near Coromoro: 2 killed

Date & Time: May 3, 2014 at 1023 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
C-GSVM
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Bucaramanga - Bucaramanga
MSN:
31-109
YOM:
1968
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
4000
Captain / Total hours on type:
1400.00
Aircraft flight hours:
11000
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft departed Bucaramanga-Palonegro Airport at 0804LT on a geophysical mission over the Coromoro Region, Santander. At 1000LT, the last radio contact was recorded with the pilot. While flying in marginal weather conditions (low clouds), the aircraft impacted the slope of a mountain located near Coromoro. The wreckage was found two days later at an altitude of 4,500 metres, some 98 km south of Bucaramanga. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and both occupants were killed, among them Peter Moore, co-founder of Oracle Geoscience International and Neville Ribeiro, the pilot.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain after the pilot was flying under VFR mode in IMC conditions. It was determined that the accident occurred after the pilot suffered a loss of situational awareness while flying under VFR mode in low clouds conditions.
Final Report:

Crash of a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo in Deán Funes

Date & Time: Apr 27, 2014 at 1915 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
LV-JGN
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Termas de Río Hondo – Río Cuarto
MSN:
31-213
YOM:
1968
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
462
Captain / Total hours on type:
8.00
Aircraft flight hours:
5245
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft departed Termas de Río Hondo Airport on a flight to Río Cuarto, carrying six passengers and one pilot who took part to a motorcycle GP in Termas de Río Hondo. About 45 minutes into the flight, while cruising at an altitude of 6,500 feet, the left engine failed. The pilot contacted ATC and was cleared to divert to Deán Funes Airfield. On approach, he realized he could not make it and attempted an emergency landing on the National Road 60 at km 835. After touchdown, the aircraft veered off the street, lost its nose gear and came to rest in bushes. One passenger and the pilot were injured while five other occupants escaped unhurt. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
The following findings were identified:
- Failure of the left engine in cruising flight due to the failure of the fuel injection system connected to the cylinder n°3,
- Inadequate maintenance of the aircraft and engine and non application of the bulletins related to the maintenance of the injection system,
- Impossibility for the pilot to increase engine power due to the high temperature of the cylinder,
- The aircraft's performances were degraded,
- Late decision of the pilot to attempt an emergency landing at dusk,
- Insufficient information regarding the procedure to feather the propeller.
Final Report:

Crash of a Fokker 100 in Brasília

Date & Time: Mar 28, 2014 at 1742 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
PR-OAF
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Petrolina – Brasília
MSN:
11415
YOM:
1992
Flight number:
OC6393
Country:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
44
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
4993
Captain / Total hours on type:
3060.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3357
Copilot / Total hours on type:
2844
Aircraft flight hours:
44449
Aircraft flight cycles:
32602
Circumstances:
The aircraft took off from the Senador Nilo Coelho Aerodrome (SBPL), Petrolina - PE, to Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport (SBBR), Brasilia - DF, at 1752 (UTC), in order to complete the scheduled cargo and personnel flight O6 6393, with 5 crewmembers and 44 passengers on board. During the level flight, thirty minutes after takeoff, the aircraft presented low level in the hydraulic system 1. The crew performed the planned operational procedures and continued the flight to Brasilia, with the hydraulic system degraded. During the SBBR landing procedures, the crew used the alternative system for lowering the landing gears. The main landing gears lowered and locked, the nose landing gear unlocked, but did not lower. After coordination with the air traffic control, the aircraft was instructed to land on SBBR runway 11R. The landing took place at 2042 (UTC). After the touchdown, the aircraft covered a total distance of 900 meters until its full stop. The initial 750 meters were with the aircraft supported only by the main landing gears and the last 150 meters were with the aircraft supported by the main landing gears and by the lower part of the front fuselage. The aircraft stopped on the runway. Substantial damage to structural elements of the aircraft occurred near the nose section. The evacuation of the crewmembers and passengers was safe and orderly. The copilot suffered fractures in the thoracic spine. The other crewmembers and passengers left unharmed.
Probable cause:
The following findings were identified:
- It was found that there was a restriction on the articulation movement of the right nose landing gear door and that the weight of this landing gear was not sufficient to overcome such restriction.
Upon inspecting the hinges, it was found that there were no signs of recent lubrication, allowing the hypothesis of occurrence of any deviation or non-adherence to the inspection and lubrication requirements established by the manufacturer leading to a the scenario favorable to the right door movement restriction. The issue of the maintenance could also be related to some deviation, or nonadherence to the requirements established for the service of widening the holes of the hinges concerning the coating and corrosion protection of the worked surface. As a result, the area could have been more susceptible to corrosive processes.
- The maintenance program, established by the manufacturer, may have contributed to the occurrence by not establishing adequate preventive maintenance parameters for the landing gear doors that were modified by reworking the hinges, incorporating larger radial pins and widening the lobe holes.
- It was not possible to determine the causal root of the EDP1 gasket extrusion, which caused the leakage of hydraulic oil that caused the hydraulic system 1 to fail.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft C90 King Air in Villavicencio: 5 killed

Date & Time: Mar 12, 2014 at 0633 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
HK-4921
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Bogotá – Araracuara
MSN:
LJ-721
YOM:
1977
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Captain / Total flying hours:
3013
Captain / Total hours on type:
538.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1341
Copilot / Total hours on type:
483
Aircraft flight hours:
9656
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft departed Bogotá-El Dorado Airport at 0600LT on an ambulance flight to Araracuara, State of Caquetá, carrying two doctors, one patient and two pilots. Fifteen minutes into the flight, the crew contacted ATC, reported problems and was cleared to divert to Villavicencio. On approach to Villavicencio-La Vanguardia Airport, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a wooded area parallel to a road, bursting into flames. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire and all five occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The following factors were identified:
- The lack of technical knowledge published in the POH for the execution of the pertinent actions during the failure of the engine in flight, together with the unwise decisions made by the crew in that situation.
- The haste of the crew members to land caused them to act in an uncoordinated manner and without the assertiveness required for the execution of the procedures contemplated by the manufacturer, the navigation charts and the published approach procedures.
- The omissions, reactions and deviations inappropriate to conduct the flight safely to the runway.
- The turning to the runway on the same side of the inoperative (critical) engine and maximum power on the operational engine during the unstabilized approach to the runway threshold which led to loss of control of the aircraft in low altitude flight.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft 90 King Air in the State of Apure

Date & Time: Mar 3, 2014
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew was performing an illegal flight with narcotics on board and entered illegally the Venezuelan airspace. The crew was forced to land in an open field by Venezuela Army Forces and the aircraft crashed, bursting into flames. While the aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire, the fate of both occupants remains unknown.

Crash of a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan in Olive Creek: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 18, 2014 at 1057 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
8R-GHS
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Olive Creek - Imbaimadai
MSN:
208B-0830
YOM:
2000
Flight number:
TGY700
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
3108
Captain / Total hours on type:
2555.00
Aircraft flight hours:
17998
Circumstances:
On 17th January, 2014, the day before the accident, the pilot departed from his company base, Ogle International Airport (SYGO) with another aircraft, a Cessna 208B, Registration – 8R-GHT. He was tasked to do two days of shuttling; the first day between Olive Creek and Ekereku Bottom Airstrips, and the second day between Olive Creek and Imbaimadai Airstrips. The pilot was accompanied by a third crew/loader, whose duty was to ensure that the aircraft was properly loaded for each trip, and an aircraft engineer who was assigned to carry out minor maintenance duties and refuel the aircraft as required for the duration of the shuttle operations. It was reported that on the first day, during a landing at Ekereku Bottom, the aircraft encountered severe wind conditions that resulted in a hard landing. The pilot was very concerned about the hard landing and expressed this to several individuals. He was concerned enough to log the hard landing in the Aircraft Technical Log. After the hard landing the aircraft was visually inspected by the engineer who declared the aircraft fit for flight. However while taxying prior to takeoff the aircraft suffered a right brake seizure. The engineer freed and bled the brake line. Tests were done on the brakes and the aircraft was flown to Olive Creek. The hard landing and the brake failure were reported to base and an instruction was passed that this aircraft should be brought back to Ogle by another pilot. Another Cessna 208B aircraft, 8R-GHS, the accident aircraft, was left with the pilot for him to complete his shuttle schedule the next day. On the afternoon of the first day, the pilot flew this aircraft, 8R-GHS to Kamarang Airstrip, where he overnighted. On the second day, 18th January, 2014, he departed Kamarang at 10:30hrs UTC for Olive Creek with the engineer and the loader. The engineer was left at Olive Creek. The pilot, with the loader, did one shuttle from Olive Creek to Imbaimadai. He returned to Olive Creek where the aircraft was refueled and then did three shuttles between Olive Creek and Imbaimadai. After these three shuttles the aircraft was again refueled. He completed one shuttle, Olive Creek/Imbaimadai/Olive Creek and had just taken off on the second in this series of shuttles when the accident occurred during midmorning. Both the pilot and the third crew were killed in the crash.
Probable cause:
The investigation revealed that the probable cause of the accident was due to a power loss suffered by the engine. The power loss was associated with the fracture of one of the 1st stage compressor stator vanes by fatigue. The fatigue crack originated from a lack of brazing adhesion extending over approximately 0.280 inches along the chord length and 0.050 inches in the direction of the shroud thickness and was located between the leading edge and mid-chord of the vane.
The following findings were identified:
1. The flight was one of a series of cargo shuttles that had originated the day before the accident, with another aircraft that was fitted with the Blackhawk modification.
2. The hard landing followed by the brake failure that occurred on the originating day had upset the pilot and caused him much concern.
3. A decision was taken to replace the original aircraft being used by the accident pilot with another one, which was also fitted with the Blackhawk modification.
4. The pilot had completed five shuttles on the day of the accident. The sixth shuttle was the accident flight.
5. The weather was satisfactory for VFR operations.
6. There was no fire.
7. Both the pilot and the third crew/loader were killed in this accident.
8. This accident occurred 2½ minutes after take-off.
9. The wreckage site was difficult to access, this along with unavailability of suitable equipment, contributed to the delay in extraction of the bodies.
Final Report:

Crash of a Gippsland GA-8 Airvan in Cayenne

Date & Time: Jan 6, 2014 at 1508 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
F-ORPH
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Cayenne – Maripasoula
MSN:
GA8-04-050
YOM:
2004
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
1100
Captain / Total hours on type:
41.00
Circumstances:
The single engine aircraft departed Cayenne-Rochambeau-Félix Éboué Airport runway 08 at 1448LT on a cargo flight to Maripasoula, carrying one female passenger and one pilot. About three minutes into the flight, while cruising at an altitude of 1,500 feet, the plot encountered engine problems, declared an emergency and was cleared for an immediate return. The aircraft landed back at 1452LT. Some controls were performed on the engine and the aircraft took off again at 1507LT. Less than a minute later, the engine lost power. The pilot again declared an emergency and returned to the airport. On short final, the aircraft lost height and crashed in bushes some 800 metres short of runway 26. The passenger was seriously injured and the pilot was slightly injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Loss of engine power during initial climb due to an abnormal wear of the cam lobes and tappets, for reasons that investigations were unable to determine. It is possible that pitting corrosion initiated this degradation which was not identified during the last periodic engine inspection.
Final Report:

Crash of a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo in Port Raúl Marín Balmaceda

Date & Time: Dec 28, 2013 at 1000 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CC-CMM
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Puerto Montt - Port Raúl Marín Balmaceda
MSN:
31-315
YOM:
1968
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
7480
Captain / Total hours on type:
3100.00
Circumstances:
The pilot departed Puerto Montt at 0900LT on a positioning flight to Port Raúl Marín Balmaceda to pick up five passengers. On approach, the pilot decided to complete a loss pass to evaluate the landing conditions and the wind component. Shortly later, the aircraft landed on its belly and slid for few dozen metres before coming to rest in a grassy area. The pilot was uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
The pilot forgot to lower the landing gear prior to landing.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft B90 King Air in Viña del Mar

Date & Time: Dec 19, 2013 at 2100 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CC-CVZ
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Viña del Mar - Santiago de Chile
MSN:
LJ-441
YOM:
1969
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
15844
Captain / Total hours on type:
4000.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
10367
Copilot / Total hours on type:
17
Aircraft flight hours:
8870
Circumstances:
The crew departed Viña del Mar-Torquemada Airport on a positioning flight to Santiago de Chile. Shortly after takeoff, the crew encountered technical problems and elected to return. On approach, both engines failed and on short final by night, the aircraft stalled and crashed 450 metres short of runway 05. Both pilots escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Both engines stopped during flight due to fuel exhaustion as the main fuel tanks were empty. It was not possible for the crew to transfer fuel from the auxiliary tanks (wing tips) due to the intermittent function of the fuel pump.
Final Report: