What happened
On October 26, 1998, a Piper PA 28, registration F-OGUR, departed from Basse Terre for a flight to Marie Galante. The flight was conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) in Class G airspace. While the initial departure conditions were suitable, the pilot encountered deteriorating weather as the aircraft approached the Gourbeyre pass.
As the aircraft neared the mountains, the pilot encountered clouds and localized showers. Rather than returning to Basse Terre to find better conditions or performing a full turnaround, the pilot altered the course southward to skirt the terrain. During this maneuver, the aircraft entered a cloud layer that obscured the terrain, leading to a high-energy impact with a wooded slope near Morne Cadet at an altitude of approximately 560 meters. The impact resulted in three fatalities and the total destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation examined the wreckage, which showed a high-energy collision with trees, resulting in the dislocation of the airframe and the engine being displaced into the cockpit. Investigators analyzed several onboard instruments, including the altimeter and airspeed indicator, which showed no signs of failure. However, an anomaly was found in the directional gyro, where a mounting flange had become loose due to engine vibrations, potentially causing erroneous heading indications.
Witness accounts from a local resident and a farmer provided context for the final moments of the flight. A farmer reported hearing the engine at a very low altitude shortly before the crash, noting no engine malfunctions. The investigation also looked into the operational context, noting that the aircraft was being used to transport an employee of a local company, and examined the regulatory framework governing general aviation rentals at the time.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the continuation of the flight into deteriorating weather conditions in mountainous terrain.
- The pilot's decision to deviate southward to avoid the weather, rather than returning to known good conditions, placed the aircraft in close proximity to the terrain and clouds.
- The lack of professional instrument training meant the pilot was unable to maintain safe flight parameters once visual references were lost.
- A potential malfunction of the directional gyro may have contributed to spatial disorientation once the aircraft entered the clouds.
- The operational arrangement, involving a private pilot flying a rental aircraft for a third-party company without a formal contract, lacked the oversight and safety standards associated with commercial air transport.