Incident
On Thursday, 7 July 2005, at 09:45 local time, a Piper PA-36-300, registration EC-GYY, departed from a temporary airstrip in Villagonzalo (Badajoz) for practice fumigation using only water. The aircraft was loaded with 300 liters of liquid and approximately 150 liters of fuel. This was the second flight of the day, and weather conditions were good.
The airstrip had a 07-25 orientation, a length of 525 meters, and a downward slope from runway 07. A hill with livestock facilities lay beyond the runway end, 500 meters from the departure point. The pilot chose to fly directly over the obstacle rather than deviate around it. During the initial climb, the aircraft did not gain sufficient altitude to clear the hill and struck the wall of a livestock shed nearly head-on.
The impact left a hole matching the aircraft's frontal profile in the shed wall, compromising the structure and killing several cattle. The aircraft was destroyed. The pilot, a 25-year-old commercial pilot with 370 total flight hours and 60 hours on type, suffered a severe chest contusion from the harness. He was assisted by emergency services and transported to a hospital.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The Piper PA-36-300 was originally a PA-36-285 model converted to -300 standard with a Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 engine. It held a restricted special airworthiness certificate for aerial work. The pilot obtained his commercial license on 1 February 2002 and completed an aerial application course in 2005. He had no fumigation experience and stated the need to acquire it through practice. In the three months before the accident, he logged 60 hours on type, including instruction, familiarization, and ferry flights.
On the day of the accident, the pilot was advised from the ground by another experienced pilot via mobile phone before takeoff. The aircraft's maintenance logs showed only 4 flight hours between registration in 1999 and its last inspection in May 2004, followed by 30 hours in the last two months. The engine log had no entries after April 2005.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that the aircraft's systems functioned correctly. The fuel and oil circuits were filled, and the propeller showed frontal impact damage with blade bending and material loss. No evasive maneuver was attempted; the wreckage indicated a straight trajectory into the wall.
The primary factor leading to the impact was the pilot's lack of skill, which prevented him from properly assessing the situation from the moment the aircraft became airborne. His limited experience in aerial fumigation and the recent completion of the qualification course, following which he acknowledged the need for additional practical training, contributed to his insufficient ability to recognize and avoid the obstacle. The pilot may have felt inhibited in the final moments, as there was no attempt to alter the aircraft's path.
The pilot's survival was aided by the correct use and recent replacement (November 2004) of the safety harness, which absorbed the impact energy.