Summary
On July 15, 2022, at approximately 10:22 local time, a Cessna A-188 AG Wagon, registration HK-1368, collided with a tree and impacted the ground inverted while performing agricultural spraying operations near Villavicencio, Meta, Colombia. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and the sole occupant, the pilot, suffered fatal injuries.
Flight Sequence
The aircraft operated from the Neiva York airstrip, located at kilometer 46 of the Villavicencio–Puerto López road. The operator scheduled the flight to spray a 30-hectare plantain crop. The first flight commenced at 06:30 local time and was completed without incident. The second flight began at 10:10 local time after the aircraft was refilled with chemical product. At 10:22 local time, while turning to final approach to face the field for a spray pass, the left wing struck a tree approximately 15 meters tall. The impact caused the aircraft to lose control, and it descended and hit the ground in an inverted attitude. The aircraft came to rest inverted on the same plantain crop. No fire occurred.
Location and Conditions
The accident occurred in the Vereda Puerto Colombia area, municipality of Villavicencio, Meta, at coordinates N 04°01'19.7" – W 073°12'44.6". The time of day was daylight, and weather conditions were visual meteorological conditions (VMC).
Injuries and Damage
The pilot, the only person on board, sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft suffered substantial damage: both wings fractured and detached due to impact with the tree and the ground; the pilot cabin was totally compressed; the propeller blades were bent and showed evidence of power at the moment of ground impact. Minor environmental damage occurred from fluid spillage on the crop.
Rescue and Notification
The owner of the crop reported the accident at 10:22 local time to the nearby Colombian Air Force base at Apiay. The base alerted rescue organizations from Villavicencio and Puerto López, who arrived at the scene at 10:50 local time. The aircraft was located at the reported coordinates. The Colombian accident investigation authority, Dirección Técnica de Investigación de Accidentes (DIACC), was notified and dispatched an investigator. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was notified as the state of design and manufacturer and assigned an accredited representative.
Pilot Information
The pilot was 24 years old, held a Commercial Pilot license (PCA), and had a valid medical certificate until March 2, 2023. The last equipment check was on December 1, 2021. The pilot had logged 608 total flight hours and 371 hours on the Cessna 188 type, according to the operator.
Investigation and Probable Cause
The DIACC investigation determined two probable causes: (1) collision of the aircraft's left wing with a natural obstacle (a tree) located at the beginning of the plantain crop being sprayed, causing the aircraft to lose control and impact the ground inverted; (2) pilot overconfidence in not performing a flyover of the lot and its surroundings to identify potential threats that could affect the safety of the maneuvers. A contributing factor was the operator's deficient standardization of procedures and risk analysis by its safety management system, which failed to conduct a topographical survey of the lots and crops to identify threats affecting normal operations.