Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA18 near Barbones, Ecuador — 2009-09-25

Final reportERA09WA546
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Date
2009-09-25
Location
Barbones, Ecuador, EC
Aircraft
PIPER PA18
Registration
HC-AHD
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

A loss of engine power during the approach for landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to continue the approach despite the loss of engine power.

Contributing factors

Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to continue the approach despite the loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

On September 25, 2009, about 1330 central standard time, a Piper PA-18-150, Ecuadorian registration HC-AHD, registered to and operated by FumiPalma S.A., crashed following a loss of engine power, while on an approach for landing at the Pista Bardones, El Oro, Ecuador. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The pilot and passenger were killed and the airplane was destroyed by a post-crash fire. The flight originated from the same airstrip about 10 minutes prior to the accident. According to information obtained from the Ecuadorian Subdireccion de Aviacion Civil, the pilot completed several touch-and-go landings and made a stop for a break before the accident flight. After the break, the pilot took onboard a passenger for a local pleasure fight. After a duration of 10 minutes, the airplane was observed approaching for a landing, at which time the engine stopped producing power and the airplane impacted the terrain, 1,970 feet short of the intended airstrip. A fire ensued immediately following the impact. This investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Government of Ecuador. Any further information can be obtained from: Direccion General de Aviacion Civil Departamento de Seguridad de Vuelo Buenos Aires 149 Y 10 de Agusto Casilla 2077 Quito, Republica del Ecuador Fax; 593-2- 223-8352 This information is for informational purposes only and contains information released by, or obtained for, the government of Ecuador.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the landing when engine power was lost.

NTSB coding

  • Loss of control in flight · Approach-VFR pattern final

Evidence available

  • 1 docket document
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents1

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