Synopsis
On 6 October 2014, a Cessna A188B, registration HK1746, was involved in an accident during an agricultural spraying operation near Rozo, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, but the pilot was uninjured.
Flight History
The aircraft was scheduled for aerial spraying of pesticide on sugar cane fields. It departed at 12:00 UTC from the "Las Cañas" airstrip in Candelaria under visual meteorological conditions. After completing the spraying task, at 12:29 UTC, while preparing to return to base, the pilot adjusted the throttle. Immediately, the engine experienced abrupt vibration, total power loss, and the cockpit filled with smoke from the engine, with oil splattering on the windshield.
Accident Sequence
The pilot declared an emergency on frequency 118.1 MHz to the Alfonso Bonilla Aragón Airport control tower and performed a forced landing in an unprepared field on a sugar cane plantation at Finca Guajira 5. The accident occurred at 12:31 UTC (07:31 local time). There was no pre- or post-impact fire. The pilot, uninjured, exited the aircraft unaided.
Aircraft Damage
The aircraft sustained substantial damage including: engine separation from mounts and cowling; propeller with one blade fractured and the other deformed; left main landing gear separation; right wing tip separation; left wing tip and aileron trailing edge damage; fuselage deformation from torsion; horizontal stabilizer leading edge damage; tail skid separation; and spray equipment fracture and deformation.
Pilot Information
The pilot, aged 59, held a Commercial Pilot – Airplane license and a valid medical certificate. He had extensive agricultural aviation experience, with a recent recurrent course in the Cessna A188B completed on 14 April 2014 and an annual flight check on 24 May 2014, valid until 30 June 2015. Post-accident toxicology tests were negative for alcohol and drugs. The pilot reported that after the last spray pass, the engine failed with strong vibration and smoke; he secured the aircraft by adjusting harness, cutting mixture, turning off switches, extending flaps, and maintaining the elevator fully aft during the forced landing.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined that the accident was due to loss of aircraft performance caused by fracture of a portion of one propeller blade and engine shutdown during acceleration for return to base.