What happened
On September 9, 2022, a Cessna R172K, registration HK-2573, departed from Vanguardia Airport in Villavicencio, Colombia, bound for Caño Colorado, Guainía. The flight, operated as an unscheduled air taxi service, was transporting a passenger, a nurse, to the destination.
After approximately 2.5 hours of flight at an altitude of 7,500 feet, the aircraft experienced a loss of power and the engine shut down. The pilot attempted to follow the engine restart procedures outlined in the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH), but was unsuccessful. Following the engine failure, the pilot declared an emergency and performed a 360-degree turn in an attempt to locate a river for a water landing. Unable to find suitable water, the pilot executed an arborization (forced landing in trees). The impact with the vegetation caused the aircraft to end up overturned, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe.
The pilot sustained minor injuries, while the passenger suffered a broken arm. Following the crash, the pilot activated a portable SPOT satellite tracking device, which sent an emergency signal. A rescue operation was launched by the Colombian Air Force, utilizing a UH60 helicopter. The crew was eventually located via thermal signatures from a campfire lit by the pilot and rescued using a jungle penetrator technique.
The investigation
The GRIAA investigation focused on the flight planning, fuel management, and organizational oversight of the operator. Investigators examined the pre-flight inspections, the lack of a formal navigation plan, and the adequacy of the company's dispatch procedures. The investigation also reviewed the maintenance and operational standards regarding fuel requirements for VFR flights.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was fuel exhaustion and subsequent engine shutdown.
- The incident resulted from inadequate flight planning and a deficient pre-flight inspection by both the dispatcher and the pilot, which failed to ensure the aircraft was fueled for the intended mission.
- The operator lacked effective dispatch procedures to ensure flights were planned within safe margins.
- There was no established procedure within the company to guarantee that fuel quantities were appropriate for the distance and flight duration.
- The flight was conducted without a formal navigation plan, meaning there were no calculated intermediate checkpoints, fuel consumption estimates, or identified emergency aerodromes along the route.
- The pilot failed to monitor fuel consumption throughout the flight, failing to recognize that the remaining fuel was insufficient to reach the destination or to divert to an alternate airfield.