What happened
On April 12, 2013, a Piper PA-25-235, registration PT-OMW, operated by ECM / CEAL Aviação Agrícola Ltda, departed from the Campo Mourão Aerodrome (SSKM) in Paraná, Brazil. The flight was intended to be a test flight following the completion of a 50-hour inspection and an annual maintenance inspection (IAM).
Shortly after departing from runway 01, the aircraft entered a right-hand turn when the engine suffered a sudden failure. The pilot attempted to return to the airfield to land on the opposite runway (19), but was unable to reach the strip. The aircraft subsequently performed a forced landing on the grass adjacent to the runway. The pilot was uninjured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The investigation
The investigation conducted by SERIPA V examined the aircraft's maintenance records and the mechanical state of the engine. Investigators discovered that the logbooks for the airframe, engine, and propeller were outdated. Specifically, a discrepancy was found regarding the magnetos: while the engine logbook listed a specific part number and serial number, the component actually installed on the engine did not match those records. Furthermore, the applicability of the installed magneto models to the O-540-B2C5 engine could not be verified using the manufacturer's manuals.
Following the accident, the engine was disassembled at a maintenance facility in Campo Mourão under the supervision of the investigation team. During the technical inspection and testing, no mechanical evidence was found to explain the cause of the engine failure during the flight.
Findings
- Maintenance of the aircraft
- Management supervision