Training Aircraft Strikes Power Lines During Simulated Emergency Landing

Casualties unknown • Término Municipal de Arico (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), ES

A flight instructor and student pilot were involved in a mid-air collision with medium-voltage power lines while simulating an engine failure landing on a highway in Tenerife.

What happened

On January 29, 2021, a PIPER PA-28-181, registration EC-JMT, was conducting a dual instruction flight from La Gomera Airport to Tenerife North Airport. During the flight, the instructor decided to perform a simulated engine failure maneuver to demonstrate emergency landing procedures to the student pilot. The instructor intended to show the student how to utilize a nearby highway as an emergency landing site due to the irregular terrain and presence of wind turbines in the area.

While executing the maneuver, the aircraft descended to an altitude of approximately 25 meters above the ground. As the crew attempted to recover from the descent and climb, the aircraft struck a medium-voltage power line spanning the TF1 highway. The impact severed the line and caused significant damage to the aircraft's vertical stabilizer and anti-collision light. The two occupants of the aircraft were uninjured, though the collision caused a widespread power outage affecting nearly 1,600 customers in the local area.

The investigation

The CIAIAC investigation established that the maneuver was performed below the minimum allowable flight altitudes and was unauthorized. While the instructor followed the manufacturer's engine failure procedures, the selection of the landing site—a highway—was inappropriate for the training exercise. The investigation also found that the flight school's safety management system was ineffective, as it had failed to report several mandatory occurrences to the national notification system and only recorded about 54% of the incidents involving the organization.

Findings

  • The primary cause was the execution of an unauthorized maneuver at an altitude below the permitted limits, specifically simulating an emergency landing on a highway at only 25 meters above the terrain.
  • The instructor failed to maintain the required lateral separation from obstacles and vehicles on the ground.
  • The flight school lacked a formal safety study required to authorize training maneuvers at altitudes as low as 150 feet.
  • The simulation of emergency landings on highways was a known practice within the organization's training curriculum.
  • The collision resulted in the severance of a medium-voltage line and significant damage to the PIPER PA-28-181.

Probable cause

The accident was caused by performing an unauthorized and unsafe training maneuver involving a simulated engine failure landing on a highway at an altitude of only 25 meters, which led to a collision with overhead power lines.

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 2021-01-29 PIPER modelo PA-28-181 accident near Término Municipal de Arico (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), ES?

A flight instructor and student pilot were involved in a mid-air collision with medium-voltage power lines while simulating an engine failure landing on a highway in Tenerife.

What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2021-01-29 involved a PIPER modelo PA-28-181, registration EC-JMT, at Término Municipal de Arico (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), ES.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The accident was caused by performing an unauthorized and unsafe training maneuver involving a simulated engine failure landing on a highway at an altitude of only 25 meters, which led to a collision with overhead power lines.

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