What happened
On September 2, 2023, during an aviation day organized by the České Budějovice Aero Club at Hosín airport (LKHS), a Colomban MC-15 Cri-Cri aircraft, registration OM-M6able, experienced a significant engine failure. The aircraft had arrived from Trenčín (LZTN) and was performing low-level flight demonstrations.
After completing its first pass from runway 24R, the pilot began a second pass. During a left turn following this second pass, the left engine began to run irregularly and subsequently failed completely. Despite the pilot attempting to maintain flight using full power from the remaining right engine, the aircraft could not maintain sufficient altitude. The aircraft subsequently crashed into a cornfield located to the right of runway 06R.
The investigation
The ÚZPLN investigation established that the aircraft was fueled with a mixture of BA 95 gasoline and T2 Shell Advance oil (1:35 ratio) prior to the demonstration. The pilot, a 54-year-old foreign national, was uninjured and was taken to a hospital in České Budějovice for examination, where he was later released.
The investigation examined the wreckage, which showed extensive damage: the aircraft was destroyed, the rear fuselage and tail surfaces were broken, and the right wing spar was fractured. The right engine and its pylon were torn from the nose, and one blade of the right propeller was broken. The investigation also noted that the aircraft was not equipped with any flight recording devices.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the failure of the left engine.
- The pilot reported that the engine failure was caused by a malfunction and unreliable operation of the left carburetor.
- The aircraft was unable to maintain altitude on a single engine despite the application of full power to the remaining engine.
- It was noted that the ZDZ 180 engines used in the aircraft are officially rated by the manufacturer for use in large RC model aircraft and are explicitly not intended for use in manned aircraft.