What happened
On May 3, 2002, a Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II with Dutch registration was conducting a visual flight rules (VFR) flight from Saarbrücken, Germany, to Speyer, Germany. The crew, consisting of a flight instructor, a flight student, and one passenger, had previously flown from Maastricht via Luxembourg. The flight was intended to serve as a training leg to extend the student pilot's national license.
At approximately 13:38, the crew contacted Frankfurt Information to report their position east of Zweibrücken at 2,500 ft MSL. Following this contact, the aircraft entered a region of deteriorating weather. While the aircraft was flying through the Palatinate Forest, the cloud base descended, and the aircraft entered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) without the crew initiating a climb to a safer altitude or transitioning to instrument flight rules (IFR).
Radar data indicated that after 13:51, the aircraft began a controlled descent of 250 to 500 ft/min. At approximately 13:53, the aircraft collided with trees on the slope of the Kesselberg, just below the summit at 2,165 ft MSL. The impact resulted in three fatalities and the destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The BFU investigation examined the flight planning, weather information, and the crew's actions. Investigators found that the crew had not requested a personal weather briefing and had not filed a flight plan. While weather information was available at Saarbrücken airport, the crew did not utilize the automated or personal briefing services.
Analysis of the aircraft's equipment showed that while the plane was equipped with basic instruments (horizon, directional gyro, and turn coordinator) that would have allowed for flight in IMC, it lacked an autopilot. The investigation also reviewed meteorological data, which confirmed that heavy rain and low cloud ceilings were present in the area, with visibility dropping significantly near the accident site.
Findings
- The crew flew the aircraft into insufficient visibility conditions (IMC) while operating under VFR.
- Despite having the equipment and the instructor possessing the necessary IFR ratings, the crew did not climb to a safer altitude or switch to IFR.
- A controlled descent was initiated while the aircraft was in IMC, leading the aircraft into terrain.
- The crew failed to recognize the approaching terrain due to the lack of visual references.
- There was a lack of adequate weather planning, as the crew was unaware that cloud bases in the mountains would be below their flight altitude.
- The student pilot, who was not licensed for IFR and was inexperienced in IMC, was the person operating the controls at the time of impact.