Aircraft and Flight
On 3 October 2000 at 19:00 local time, a Piper PA-36-375, registration EC-EML, was operating from the airstrip at Campillo de Paravientos, in the province of Cuenca, Spain. The aircraft, manufactured in 1982, was powered by a single Lycoming IO-720-D1CD engine. It was being used for commercial aerial application, specifically fumigation of pine forests. The pilot, a 31-year-old Commercial Pilot (Airplane), had accumulated 850 total flight hours.
Accident Sequence
The pilot was flying following the terrain contours along a mountainside. During the second pass of that flight, while executing a left turn, the right wingtip collided with a protruding rock outcropping. Following the impact, the aircraft descended downslope until it struck the ground vegetation. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The pilot, the sole occupant, was uninjured.
Conclusion
The investigation determined that the most probable cause of the accident was that the pilot did not notice the presence of the rock. While making a left turn, the pilot's attention was likely more directed toward the left wingtip area, making it more difficult to detect an obstacle on the right side.