Incident Overview
On August 31, 2024, at approximately 11:33 local time, a Piper PA-38 Tomahawk with registration EC-KYX crashed in the vicinity of the Villarrubia aerodrome (LEDE) in Córdoba, Spain. The aircraft was operated by Aeronáutica Delgado for private, non-commercial purposes under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Two individuals were on board: a pilot and a passenger.
Sequence of Events
The pilot departed from runway 16 at the restricted-use aerodrome around 10:33 local time. After conducting a pre-flight inspection earlier that morning, the aircraft flew locally for approximately 50 minutes before completing three full traffic patterns with corresponding landings and takeoffs. During the fourth circuit, while turning from the downwind leg to the base leg, the engine stopped. The aircraft subsequently descended rapidly and impacted the terrain.
Casualties and Damage
Both occupants sustained serious injuries. They were initially assisted by a witness and other bystanders, including a physician, before emergency services arrived. The pilot was extracted from the cabin, while the passenger had to be freed from the wreckage by firefighters. Both were transported to a hospital, where the passenger later died. The aircraft was destroyed in the crash.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that the accident resulted from an aerodynamic stall. This occurred during a turn executed at low speed with a high bank angle, following an engine stoppage caused by fuel exhaustion in the right tank, which was the selected supply source.