Factual Information
On 3 November 2020, a Piper PA-34-200, registration EC-HCA and serial number 34-7250191, departed from Ibiza Airport (LEIB) at 17:14 UTC on a visual flight rules night (VFRN) flight to Reus Airport (LERS). The aircraft was owned and operated by Real Aeroclub de Reus-Costa Dorada. It carried two occupants: the pilot and a passenger. Both occupants died in the accident.
The pilot held a private pilot license (PPL(A)) with multi-engine piston (MEP) and single-engine piston (SEP) ratings, as well as a night rating. The aircraft had earlier completed a flight from Reus to Ibiza with the pilot, a companion pilot, and two other passengers. After arriving at Ibiza, the two passengers disembarked, and the companion pilot did not fly the return leg. The aircraft was refueled to full capacity before the outbound flight.
Weather forecasts for the route indicated cloudy to overcast skies with nimbostratus clouds, base between 2,000 and 6,000 ft, and tops between FL100 and above FL150.
At 17:55 UTC, the aircraft disappeared from air traffic control radar. Search and rescue efforts located the wreckage on the seabed at a depth of 113 meters, approximately 42 nautical miles from Reus Airport. The aircraft was not equipped with flight recorders.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined that the accident was caused by the lack of adherence to night visual flight rules, which led to spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control.