What happened
On June 23, 2000, a Cessna 182-J, registration EC-GMJ, departed from Valladolid Airport for a private VFR flight to Sabadell Airport. The flight was operated by a pilot and one passenger. After climbing to 9,500 feet, the aircraft was transferred to Barcelona Control.
During the flight, air traffic controllers instructed the pilot to proceed via Corridor A (Alpha) at 3,50 and confirmed the descent. While the pilot acknowledged the descent to 3,500 feet, there was no confirmation regarding the specific route via Corridor A. The final radio contact occurred at 18:49 UTC, when the pilot acknowledged a QNH update for Sabadell.
Following the aircraft's failure to arrive at its destination, a search was initiated. The wreckage of the Cessna 182-J was located the following morning in the "Les Agulles" area of the Montserrat mountains. The impact resulted in two fatalities and the total destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation examined radar tracks, radio communications, and meteorological reports. Investigators analyzed the aircraft's flight path, which showed variable headings in the final stages of flight, suggesting the pilot may have been attempting to maneuver around terrain.
Meteorological data from the Montserrat Observatory revealed that while conditions at the departure and arrival airports were suitable for VFR, the accident site was experiencing heavy fog with visibility reduced to between 20 and 50 meters, and cloud ceilings as low as 500 meters. The investigation also noted that the aircraft's airworthiness certificate had expired 12 days prior to the accident.
Findings
- The aircraft entered a region of extremely low visibility and dense fog, which was outside the pilot's VFR capabilities.
- The pilot flew at an altitude that was lower than some of the surrounding mountain peaks.
- The pilot failed to properly acknowledge or follow the specific routing instruction to use Corridor A, leading to a deviation from the intended path.
- The accident is classified as a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) caused by either a misjudgment of position or a failure to correctly interpret ATC instructions.
Safety action
- The investigation recommended that the DGAC and AENA implement regulatory changes to ensure air traffic controllers require full readbacks (collation) of all instructions and authorizations, whether for aircraft in flight or vehicles on the ground, to prevent communication errors.