Narrative:En route to San José the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, but his attempts failed. He then attempted to carry out a forced landing on a runway for microlight aircraft. The Grand Caravan impacted trees.
Probable Cause:
CAUSA PROBABLE: "La Unidad de Investigación de Accidentes Aéreos (UIA), determinó que la causa probable de este accidente se debió a la pérdida de potencia en vuelo, que obligó a la tripulación a realizar un aterrizaje de emergencia en una pista para ultraligeros y realizar un recorrido excesivo debido a factores adversos a la operación de la aeronave."
FACTORES CONTRIBUYENTES: "Pérdida de potencia de la planta motopropulsora, campo de aterrizaje corto con una superficie húmeda y resbalosa, posible viento de cola y obstáculos al final de pista."
Classification:
Forced landing outside airport
Sources:
» Boletín Informativo 2003 / DGAC, Unidad de Investigación de Accidentes
» NTSB
Follow-up / safety actions
It was a.o. recommended to SANSA to carry out inspections of the turbines following cases of a loss of oil pressure. It was also recommended to wash the airplanes at least 40 minutes after landing to leave enough time for the engine to cool down.
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Bahía Drake (Drake Bay) Airport to San José-Juan Santamaria International Airport as the crow flies is 154 km (96 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.