Accident Overview
On Friday, 1 June 2012, at approximately 16:45 local time, an amphibious Air Tractor AT-802A, registration EC-KRF, capsized in the Benagéber Reservoir (Valencia, Spain) during a water scooping maneuver. The aircraft was operated by Avialsa T-35, S.L. and was engaged in firefighting operations. After hitting the water, the aircraft inverted and remained upside down. The pilot waited for the cockpit to flood before exiting the aircraft under his own power. He was uninjured despite his life vest unintentionally inflating while he was still inside. Once on the surface, the pilot observed that the landing gear was lowered, which he identified as the cause of the accident.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was an Air Tractor AT-802A amphibious model, converted to an amphibious configuration in May 2008. It was powered by a single Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67F engine, installed in January 2010, and a propeller installed in March 2010. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had accumulated 729 total flight hours and the engine 334 hours. The last inspection occurred on 27 February 2012. The landing gear system was hydraulically actuated with mechanical locks. Gear position was indicated by a set of lights (blue for up, red for transit, green for down) and an acoustic advisory that sounded automatically at low speeds. The gear was not visible from the cockpit.
Pilot and Crew
The pilot, a 47-year-old Spanish national, held a valid commercial pilot license and medical certificate. He had a total of 3,008 flight hours, with 350 hours on the Air Tractor type. In the previous three months, he had flown only 11 hours. He had renewed his amphibious Air Tractor rating two months before the accident. There was no record of training on procedures for a flooded cockpit.
Incident Details
The aircraft had been mobilized from Castellón Aerodrome to fight a forest fire in the province of Valencia. After taking off at 16:00, it made an initial fire retardant drop and then proceeded to the Benagéber Reservoir to scoop water. While approaching the water surface, the aircraft struck the water and capsized. The aircraft was later towed to shore and lifted upright with a crane. The landing gear was found fully down and locked. Significant damage was noted, particularly to the front section.
Pilot's Account
The pilot reported that he arrived at the base the day before, was well rested, and completed preflight preparations. After being notified of the fire, he was informed that the reservoir might have a low water level. While climbing after takeoff, he changed the COMDES working group, a task he described as requiring significant attention. He reduced power, raised the flaps, and left the gear down. During the final checklist before scooping, he believed he saw four blue lights (indicating gear up), but due to smoke, glare, and the proximity of green lights, he may have been confused. The high workload from radio communications and monitoring other aircraft contributed to the situation.
Survival Aspect
After the impact, the pilot was inverted and restrained by his safety harness. When he attempted to unbuckle, the pull cord of his LIVEMAR life vest caught on something, causing the vest to inflate inadvertently. The vest inflated while he was still inside the cockpit, creating discomfort and anxiety. The vest was not certified to aviation standards (TSO or ESTO).