Accident Overview
On 30 November 2016, at 07:32 local time (12:32 UTC), a Piper PA-34-220T, registration HK4672, operated by Servicio Aéreo Regional SAER LTDA, was conducting a non-scheduled air taxi flight from Vanguardia Airport (SKVV) in Villavicencio to Puerto Gaitán, Colombia. The aircraft carried two crew members (pilot and copilot) and two passengers. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was conducted under visual flight rules.
Sequence of Events
The aircraft departed from runway 05. One minute after takeoff, while in the initial climb phase, the air traffic controller observed the aircraft losing altitude and inquired about any issues. The pilot reported an engine failure. No further communication was received. The aircraft impacted terrain in a populated residential area approximately 2 km northeast of runway 23, at 07:34 local time (12:34 UTC).
According to the pilot’s statement, engine parameters were normal at takeoff. After positive climb and gear retraction, the aircraft began a right turn to a heading of 050° while climbing to 2,000 feet. At that moment, the left engine lost power. The pilot initiated a right turn to heading 060° to return to the runway, but the aircraft could not maintain altitude or airspeed. The pilot then selected a nearby field for an emergency landing but saw it was occupied, so he turned left toward a basketball court. During the descent, the aircraft struck the terrace of a house and impacted the ground within a residential compound.
Injuries and Damage
The pilot and one occupant evacuated the aircraft unaided and were uninjured. The copilot, who sustained serious injuries including lacerations and fractures, was assisted by airport rescue and firefighting personnel and transported to a hospital. The other occupant was also assisted. There was no pre- or post-impact fire.
The aircraft sustained substantial structural damage: the cockpit was destroyed; both wing spars were broken, with the right wing completely separated; the fuselage, cockpit, and empennage were destroyed; both engines were torn from their firewalls with broken mounts; and the left engine propeller blades were found unfeathered. Damage also occurred to the terrace of a house in the Tierra del Sol residential unit.
Investigation Findings
The investigation concluded that the accident resulted from loss of control during the initial climb due to a loss of left engine power, the cause of which could not be determined. Additionally, the crew failed to execute the aircraft’s operational manual procedure for feathering the propeller of the failed engine. A contributing factor was the left engine failure of undetermined origin during the initial climb phase.