Fuel Pressure Loss During Agricultural Spraying in Colombia (HK4968)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On July 20, 2023, at approximately 07:00 local time, an Air Tractor AT301 agricultural aircraft, registration HK4968, was conducting a scheduled fungicide spraying operation in the Zona Bananera region of Magdalena, Colombia. The aircraft was operated by Fumigación Aérea Garay FUMIGARAY S.A.S. and was fueled with 60 gallons of fuel and loaded with 100 gallons of fungicide. The pilot, a 56-year-old commercial pilot with 12,350 total flight hours, departed from a runway known as “La Lucha” at approximately 06:10 local time. The flight proceeded in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with daylight. The aircraft performed its initial spraying passes at 4.5 nautical miles southwest, then 2 nautical miles southeast, and finally 0.5 nautical miles northwest of the target area. As the aircraft returned toward the departure runway, it was climbing from approximately 400 feet above ground level toward 600 feet when the pilot observed the fuel low warning light illuminate and noted a drop in fuel pressure. The pilot reported an emergency via radio to the base and attempted to manually operate the fuel pump, but the pressure did not recover. The engine subsequently stopped. The pilot cut the magnetos and configured the aircraft for a forced landing in unprepared terrain. The aircraft touched down in a banana plantation on the Vega Caballero farm, traveling approximately 100 meters before coming to rest. No injuries were reported, and the pilot exited the aircraft unassisted and unharmed. The aircraft sustained damage to the leading edges and wingtips of both wings, with torn skin and broken fiberglass, as well as a bent tip on one of the two propeller blades. The investigation found no mechanical failure or malfunction of the aircraft, engine, or fuel system that contributed to the incident. The probable causes were identified as human factors and incorrect operation of the fuel pump, with operational procedures related to the fuel pump operation cited as a contributing factor.