What happened
On 15 September 2019, a Cirrus SR2XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX aircraft, registration F-HAMP, was participating in the "Raid Latécoère-Aéropostale" air rally. The flight was part of the second stage of the rally, which was scheduled to fly from Pinar de Castellon to La Axarquia, with a planned stopover in Requena. Due to unfavorable weather conditions at the intended stopover, the rally organizers decided to change the destination to Mutxamel.
The pilot was instructed to follow a coastal route to avoid inland weather hazards, specifically flying via reporting points N of Valencia, Cullera, Cap Marti, and Benidorm. The aircraft departed Pinar de Castellon at 15:16. While flying over the Mediterranean, the aircraft passed over reporting points SOPET and COMPI. However, after passing COMPI, the aircraft turned inland toward reporting point MITOS, deviating from the instructed coastal path. During this deviation, the aircraft remained at an altitude of 800 ft, failing to climb to the 4500 ft required for obstacle avoidance on the bad-weather route.
As the aircraft flew over the municipality of Pedreguer in Alicante, it struck the north face of Mont L’Ocaive in the Sierra Castell de la Solana. At the time of the impact, witnesses reported dense fog and low visibility. The impact and subsequent fire resulted in 2 fatalities, including the pilot, and the total destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation examined the flight path, the weather conditions, and the communication methods used by the air rally organizers. The investigation reviewed the instructions provided to the crews regarding the change in destination and the specific route to be followed to avoid inland terrain and weather. The investigators also analyzed the organizational procedures for disseminating flight updates to the 30 participating aircraft.
Findings
- The accident was caused by the failure to adhere to visual flight procedures.
- The aircraft deviated from the instructed coastal route and flew inland toward the mountains.
- The pilot failed to climb to the required altitude of 4CC00 ft for terrain clearance.
- There was ineffective communication of the new flight instructions; while organizers held meetings to announce the change in destination, they did not implement steps to ensure all crews understood the updated route.
- Local weather conditions at the time of impact included dense fog and low visibility.