Accident
On 18 January 2019 at 09:03 local time, a BRM Aero S.R.O. Bristell S-LSA, registration CC-AUV, crashed during initial climb after takeoff from Aeródromo Eulogio Sánchez (SCTB) in La Reina, Metropolitan Region. The aircraft experienced an engine stoppage, subsequently lost control during a turn to return to the runway, impacted terrain, and caught fire. The pilot instructor, Nicolás Osorio Larrosa, was fatally injured; the student pilot, Cristóbal Arriagada Muñoz, sustained serious injuries.
Initial Investigation
Investigación N°1882WS was opened by the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) on 21 January 2019. The initial closure, by Resolution Exenta N°1013 on 9 October 2019, determined the probable cause as "loss of control in flight during a turn to return to the runway, as a result of engine stoppage during initial climb." The technical reason for the engine stoppage could not be determined due to the extent of damage to external engine components.
Reopening
On 11 March 2020, the DGAC's Departamento de Seguridad Operacional reported a new technical antecedent: the aircraft had taken off with the Gascolator drain valve open. Based on this, Resolution Exenta N°1163 of 30 October 2020 revoked the earlier closure and ordered the investigation reopened to examine this possible cause. The manufacturer of the engine (Rotech Flight Safety – Rotax Aircraft Engines, Canada) had previously examined the wreckage and found no internal mechanical anomalies, but the open valve could have led to fuel starvation.
Final Closure
The reopened investigation concluded with Resolution Exenta N°2346 on 30 October 2025. The final closure acknowledged the new antecedent but did not revise the probable cause; the technical analysis from 6 January 2022 considered the open drain valve. The DGAC closed the case without explicitly restating the cause, though the original determination remains on record.