What happened
On 6 September 2016, a Robin DR-40/180, registration EC-KFG, was conducting a commercial aerial photography mission when it crashed in Villanueva del Condado, Spain. The flight, operated by TAFYR, had departed from A Coruña Airport earlier that afternoon with a planned destination of Pamplona.
As the crew approached the municipality of Vegas del Condado, they began a series of circling maneuvers to capture images of specific landmarks. While performing a tight turn over a group of houses, the aircraft's nose dropped sharply. The aircraft struck the ground with a high right bank angle, causing the destruction of the airframe and the deaths of both occupants.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation analyzed wreckage, GPS data, and metadata from the cameras used during the flight. Investigators reconstructed the flight path, noting that while previous photography sessions had been conducted at altitudes of approximately 400 to 600 feet, this final maneuver was significantly lower.
Analysis of the GPS track and ground impact marks revealed that the aircraft was executing a very tight turn with a radius of only about 150 meters. The investigation also examined the aircraft's control systems, finding no evidence of mechanical failure in the ailerons, elevators, or engine. The engine was confirmed to be under power at the moment of impact.
Findings
- The aircraft was performing a circling maneuver at an extremely low altitude, reaching heights as low as 37 meters AGL.
- The small turn radius required an excessive bank angle of over 60 degrees.
- The aircraft's speed during the final segment of the turn was below the stall speed for a zero-flap configuration.
- The pilot's decision to descend to a very low altitude to improve photo quality left no margin for error or recovery from a stall.