ASN Aircraft accident Cessna 500 Citation I EC-IBA Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ)
ASN logo
 

Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Thursday 2 August 2012
Time:06:18
Type:Silhouette image of generic C500 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Cessna 500 Citation I
Operator:Airnor - Aeronaves del Noroeste
Registration: EC-IBA
MSN: 500-0178
First flight: 1974
Total airframe hrs:9460
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-1
Crew:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:1,6 km (1 mls) N of Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ) (   Spain)
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature:Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:Oviedo/Aviles-Asturias Airport (OVD/LEAS), Spain
Destination airport:Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ/LEST), Spain
Narrative:
A Cessna 500 Citation I corporate jet was destroyed when it crashed near Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ), Spain. Both pilots were killed in the accident.
They had flown a transplant organ to Porto that night and were returning to Santiago de Compostela, leaving Oviedo Airport at 05:45.
Ten minutes later, the crew contacted approach control and was then authorized to make the ILS approach to runway 17 at Santiago de Compostela. The visibility at the airport was suitable for landing. At 06:15 hours the crew contacted Tower Control and was cleared to land. Two minutes later the aircraft impacted wooded terrain, 200 meters before the VOR of Santiago, about 1 mile before the threshold of runway 17.

Probable Cause:

Causes
The ultimate cause of the accident could not be determined. In light of the hypothesis considered in the analysis, the most likely scenario is that the crew made a non-standard precision approach in manual based primarily on distances. The ILS frequency set incorrectly in the first officer's equipment and the faulty position indicated on the DME switch would have resulted in the distance being shown on the captain's HSI as corresponding to the VOR and not to the runway threshold. The crew shortened the approach maneuver and proceeded to a point by which the aircraft should already have been established on the localizer, thus increasing the crew's workload. The crew then probably lost visual contact with the ground when the aircraft entered a fog bank in the valleys near the airport and did not realize they were making an approach to the VOR and not to the runway.
The contributing factors were:
- The lack of operational procedures of an aircraft authorized to be operated by a single pilot operated by a crew with two members.
- The overall condition of the aircraft and the instruments and the crew's mistrust of the onboard instruments.
- The fatigue built up over the course of working at a time when they should have been sleeping after an unplanned duty period.
- The concern with having to divert to the alternate without sufficient fuel combined with the complacency arising from finally reaching their destination.

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: CIAIAC Spain
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 2 years and 11 months
Accident number: A-029/2012
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Insufficient rest / fatigue
Cause undetermined
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Ground

Sources:
» SKYbrary 

METAR Weather report:
04:30 UTC / 06:30 local time:
LEST 020430Z 00000KT 5000 R17/0450V1700U BR FEW006 13/13 Q1019 NOSIG
04:30 UTC: Winds calm; Visibility: 5000 m; mist, few clouds at 600 feet AGL; Runway Visual Range along Runway 17 is varying between 450 m and 1700 m and is improving; Temperature and Dew point: 13°C; Pressure: 1019 mb


Follow-up / safety actions

CIAIAC issued 6 Safety Recommendations

Show all...

Photos

photo of Cessna-500-Citation-I-EC-IBA
accident date: 02-08-2012
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: EC-IBA
photo of Cessna-500-Citation-I-EC-IBA
accident date: 02-08-2012
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: EC-IBA
photo of Cessna-500-Citation-I-EC-IBA
accident date: 02-08-2012
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: EC-IBA
photo of Cessna-500-Citation-I-EC-IBA
accident date: 02-08-2012
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: EC-IBA
photo of Cessna-500-Citation-I-EC-IBA
accident date: 02-08-2012
type: Cessna 500 Citation I
registration: EC-IBA
 

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 Oviedo/Aviles-Asturias Airport to Santiago de Compostela Airport as the crow flies is 205 km (128 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few 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.
languages: languages

Share

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org