Piper PA-36-375 EC-EJY Emergency Landing in Los Yébenes

Incident Overview and Flight Details On the evening of June 27, 2007, at approximately 19:55 local time, a Piper PA-36-375 aircraft, registration EC-EJY, was conducting a commercial aerial application (fumigation) operation over a property in Los Yébenes, Toledo. The aircraft was based at the temporary airstrip 'El Raso' in the same municipality. According to the pilot's account, the incident occurred at the end of a low-altitude pass at approximately 10 meters. When the pilot requested more engine power to climb for the next pass, the engine failed to respond, and the aircraft began losing both power and altitude. ## Emergency Response and Impact Faced with a hill in the flight path, the pilot decided to make an emergency landing. The pilot executed a left turn, attempting to center the aircraft's trajectory between the trees ahead to avoid a direct frontal collision. While practically on the ground and performing a no-power landing procedure, the aircraft's right wing struck a tree. This impact caused the aircraft to yaw to the right, bringing it to a stop on the ground. The pilot, who was secured by a safety harness, was uninjured. ## Aircraft and Ground Damage The primary damage to the aircraft resulted from the right wing striking the tree, which generated a turning moment. This caused damage to the tail structure, including the loss of the tail skid. The engine mount failed, launching the engine to the left side of the aircraft. This event simultaneously caused the separation of several accessories, including the magnetos and the fuel pump. The impact of the engine with the ground primarily deformed two propeller blades and the pitch mechanism. During its ground run, the aircraft uprooted two trees and damaged the branches of several others. ## Pilot and Aircraft Maintenance The pilot-in-command was a 40-year-old commercial airplane pilot with 1,602 total flight hours and 286 hours on type. The pilot had been the regular pilot for this specific aircraft since July 18, 2006. The aircraft's airworthiness certificate, number 2749, was in the 'restricted' category, limiting its use to aerial agricultural treatments and firefighting. Maintenance records indicated the aircraft had 3,431:20 total flight hours at the time of the accident, with the engine at 2,267:15 hours. The aircraft was within its 100-hour basic maintenance interval, with 2:20 hours of potential remaining before the next required inspection. ## Investigation Findings Following the pilot's report of a difficult engine start and the subsequent loss of power, investigators inspected the fuel system at the accident site. They found that the diaphragm of the fuel pump was perforated, with an accumulation of dirt in the area adjacent to the rupture. The fuel pump, a Lear Romec model RG9080J6A, had been overhauled on October 12, 2003. The accumulation of material inside the pump, in the area where the valve seat is joined to the diaphragm, would have caused a loss of pressure in the fuel flow to the engine.