What happened
On April 26, 2008, a private Cessna 172 RG, registration EC-FYP, departed from Castellón Aerodrome for a local flight with three occupants on board. During the initial climb, the pilot experienced difficulty gaining altitude. The flight proceeded northwest toward the Peñagolosa massif, where the pilot intended to familiarize himself with a 900-meter forest strip located near Vistabella del Maestrazgo.
While performing a low-altitude pass over the forest strip at approximately 300 ft AGL and 100 kt, the pilot encountered a southern gust that caused the aircraft to sink. As the aircraft reached the end of runway 12, it struck a 16-meter-tall tree located 250 meters beyond the threshold. In an attempt to avoid the obstacle, the pilot applied maximum power and pulled back on the controls, but the aircraft could not maintain a sufficient climb rate. The aircraft subsequently impacted the ground 30 meters beyond the initial tree strike, coming to rest in a wooded area. All three occupants survived the impact without injury.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's condition and the flight path. Post-accident inspection revealed that the horizontal stabilizer had become entangled in the tree canopy. The aircraft's wings were torn from their mounts, and the fuselage sustained several bending fractures from the ground impact. The propeller blades showed torsion consistent with the engine being at high power at the moment of impact. The throttle was found in the maximum power position, with the mixture set to rich and the propeller lever in fine pitch.
Investigators analyzed the terrain and the flight profile. While the pilot attempted to maintain a constant altitude based on the altimeter, the terrain elevation increased from 1,157 m at the runway threshold to 1,171 m at the site of the impact. This resulted in a loss of approximately 58 meters of altitude over the course of the pass.
Findings
- The pilot experienced a loss of situational awareness regarding the changing terrain elevation.
- The pilot failed to recognize that the 5% slope of the runway and the rising terrain beyond the threshold were causing the aircraft to lose altitude relative to the ground.
- The sudden encounter with a southern gust contributed to the aircraft's descent.
- The pilot identified the obstacle too late to establish an adequate climb rate to clear the tree.