Piper PA-36-375 Brave EC-DGI Accident at Santa Amalia

Incident Overview and Location On Wednesday, June 4, 2008, at 10:30 local time, a Piper PA-36-375 Brave with registration EC-DGI was involved in an accident during a takeoff attempt at a temporary airstrip in Santa Amalia, Badajoz. The aircraft was operated by Trabajos Aéreos Espejo for commercial agricultural work, specifically rice seeding. The temporary runway was a compacted dirt strip measuring 750 by 25 meters, oriented north-south, and was typically used as an operational base for agricultural aircraft during the season. ## Flight Details and Sequence of Events The pilot, a 39-year-old commercial pilot with 1,352:25 total flight hours and 92:15 hours on type, was the sole occupant. This was the pilot's first flight of the day in this specific aircraft. The aircraft was loaded with rice seed and contained approximately 200 liters of fuel. Weather conditions at the time included practically unlimited visibility, light winds, and a temperature of 16 °C with a rising trend. During the takeoff roll, after covering most of the runway length, the pilot pulled the control stick to rotate and gain altitude due to the proximity of a wire mesh fence at the end of the runway. The aircraft cleared the fence in a left-turning attitude but subsequently lost altitude. The tail skid then made contact with two subsequent sections of the fence, one parallel to the runway and the other transverse. Following the second contact, the pilot shut down the engine before the aircraft impacted the ground. The pilot was uninjured. ## Damage and Investigation Findings The aircraft sustained significant damage to the lower fuselage and lower wing coverings, particularly on the right side. The main landing gear broke, and the engine and propeller blades were damaged, with blades bent or broken. Deformations in the propeller indicated that the engine had no power at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that the aircraft felt like it had less pull than another aircraft of the same model he usually flew. The operator confirmed that no familiarization flight was conducted, which is standard practice after an aircraft change. The load consisted of 500 kg of dry rice seed, which was moistened with water but not drained sufficiently. This increased the weight, bringing the estimated takeoff weight to near the maximum authorized limit of 2,177 kg. The required takeoff distance for a maximum weight configuration under the existing conditions was approximately 700 meters, which was very close to the available runway length. ## Probable Cause The accident resulted from an inadequate takeoff maneuver, influenced by a tight available takeoff distance and a load of moistened rice seed that brought the aircraft's weight to near its maximum takeoff limit due to insufficient draining of the load.