2016 Piper PA-25-235 accident near Javier de Viana, Uruguay (CX-BQL-R)

Overview and flight details On 5 March 2016, a Piper PA-25-235 agricultural aircraft, registration CX-BQL-R, operated by Aero Norte Aviación Agrícola, departed the Aeropuerto Internacional de Artigas (SUAG) for a temporary operating area near Javier de Viana in the Artigas Department. The flight was a transfer of approximately 44.4 km to the west. The aircraft took off from runway 29 at 06:25:40 local time. ## Accident sequence After takeoff, the aircraft flew southwest to intercept Route 30 near kilometer 120, Cañada Sarandí. It then overflew the highway at altitudes not exceeding 50 meters, and in the area of the “Juan Pablo Terra” wind farm, it flew slightly more than 20 meters above the road. At approximately 06:36, before sunrise, the aircraft struck the rear of a vehicle traveling in the same direction on Route 30, near kilometer 99. Following the impact, the aircraft struck the pavement with its propeller and right wheel. It then became airborne again, flying approximately 540 meters to the right before coming to rest in an adjacent field. ## Damage and injuries The aircraft sustained minor damage, limited to the propeller and right landing gear. No fire occurred. The pilot evacuated the aircraft uninjured. Of the four occupants of the vehicle, two rear-seat passengers sustained serious injuries. The vehicle sustained significant damage. ## Investigation and findings The investigation was conducted by the Comisión Investigadora de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación (C.I.A.I.A.) under the Ministry of National Defense of Uruguay, in accordance with ICAO Annex 13. The NTSB was notified. The pilot was a 34-year-old Uruguayan male holding a commercial license with 1,190.34 total hours as of 22 February 2016. The aircraft, a 1968 single-engine, low-wing, fabric-covered agricultural plane, had 11,233 total time on the airframe. The Lycoming O-540B2B5 engine had 5,711 total time. During the accident-site inspection, discrepancies were noted in the serial numbers of the magnetos and propeller compared to the aircraft's documentation, and no records of these changes were found. A spark plug washer was also found trapped between the motor cylinder fins. The owner's handbook did not correspond to the aircraft, and the propeller logbook was not provided.