What happened
On May 8, 2013, a Cessna 172P, registration PH-ACM, departed Den Helder Airport for a professional aerial photography mission over the North Sea. The flight's objective was to photograph cargo on a coaster vessel. Despite deteriorating weather conditions, including low cloud ceilings and poor visibility, the crew continued the flight toward the target vessel.
As the aircraft approached the intended meeting point, the crew noted that visibility was insufficient to locate the ship. In an attempt to find a clearer view beneath the cloud layer, the pilot initiated a descent to between 200 and 300 feet. During this maneuver, the aircraft struck the sea surface at a high rate of speed, flipped over, and sank in approximately 25 meters of water.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight conditions, the crew's decision-making, and the survival equipment used. It was established that the aircraft was flying under special VFR conditions in a period of heavy mist and low clouds. The investigation also reviewed the effectiveness of the onboard emergency signaling devices, noting that while the aircraft's internal ELT failed to transmit effectively due to being submerged, the photographer's personal locator beacon (PLB) successfully alerted rescue coordination centers.
Findings
- The pilot performed a descent to an extremely low altitude under unacceptable visibility conditions in an attempt to find visual references.
- The failure to wear seatbelts likely contributed to the severity of the pilot's injuries, which ultimately proved fatal.
- The photographer was able to exit the submerged cockpit and activate a personal locator beacon, which was instrumental in locating the crash site.
- The aircraft's onboard Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) was not effective because it was not designed for underwater use.