What happened
On September 6, 2002, at approximately 17:25 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 Archer II, registration EC-FJI, was conducting a local flight training mission near Burgos, Spain. The aircraft, operated by Real Aeroclub de Burgos, was performing its third flight of the day, carrying a flight instructor and a student pilot. The flight was being conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) in favorable meteorological conditions.
While flying south toward a plain in the Villariezo municipality, the aircraft was performing an approach maneuver involving a simulated engine failure, with the engine set to idle power. During this maneuver, the propeller struck a high-voltage power line. The impact caused the propeller to stop and the cable to be dragged, eventually breaking from its support tower. The collision destabilized the aircraft, causing it to roll into an inverted position before impacting the ground in a nearly frontal manner. The subsequent impact and explosion triggered a fire that destroyed the aircraft and burned approximately four hectares of surrounding vegetation.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's maintenance records, which showed a successful 100-hour inspection completed 14 days prior to the accident. The engine and propeller were found to be in good condition, with no evidence of mechanical failure. Investigators also reviewed the flight's operational details, noting that no flight plan had been filed, which is a common practice for local training flights at that airfield. The investigation focused on the sequence of the collision, the state of the power lines, and the flight path of the aircraft during the simulated engine failure maneuver.