What happened
On July 21, 2010, at approximately 03:20 local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registration EC-CSX, crashed near the Villamartín aerodrome in Cádiz, Spain. The aircraft had previously landed at the airfield the evening prior, following a flight from Seville.
In the early hours of the following morning, the aircraft departed from the airfield's runway 06 without establishing radio communication or filing a flight plan. Shortly after takeoff, while flying on a northwest heading parallel to the airfield's crosswind component, the aircraft struck a sunflower field located roughly 1 km northeast of the aerodrome.
The impact was high-energy, causing the propeller, nose wheel, and left window to detach. The aircraft continued forward, striking the ground a second time approximately 40 meters from the initial impact site, after which it caught fire. The pilot was ejected during the second impact and sustained fatal injuries.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's flight path, the pilot's credentials, and the environmental conditions at the time of the accident. Evidence showed that the propeller was still providing thrust at the moment of impact, as the blades showed minimal deformation and no significant ground scouring between the two impact points. This indicated the aircraft was in controlled flight but the pilot was likely unaware of the decreasing altitude.
While the pilot held a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) and had performed similar flights to the area in recent weeks, the investigation could not verify specific flight experience due to the lack of available logbook data. Notes found with the pilot suggested a potential destination of Morocco. Meteorological data from AEMET indicated clear skies with light winds and temperatures around 20-22°C.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) during nighttime hours.
- The pilot was likely experiencing spatial disorientation due to the inability to maintain visual references in the dark.
- The aircraft was likely flying a shallow climb gradient, failing to gain sufficient altitude to clear the terrain.