Introduction
On 3 April 2018 at approximately 10:30 local time, a Piper PA-25-235 aircraft, registration CP-2332, crashed during an agricultural flight near the Santa Josefina property, located 70 km south of Tres Cruces and Poso del Tigre on the road to Puerto Suárez in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The aircraft was operated privately and based at El Trompillo Airport in Santa Cruz.
Factual Information
Aircraft
- Manufacturer: Piper
- Model: PA-25-235
- Serial Number: 25-5036
- Registration: CP-2332
- Year of Manufacture: 1969
- Category: Restricted for Agriculture and Pest Control
- Total Airframe Time: 5144.45 hours
- Last 100-hour inspection and airworthiness renewal completed on 19 December 2016 by an approved maintenance organization (OMA "SEVERITO")
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2C5, serial RL-15034, total time 5144.45 hours, considered a total loss
- Propeller: McCauley 1A200, serial 91909, total time 5144.45 hours, considered a total loss with all six mounting bolts fractured
- At the accident site, the manifold pressure gauge indicated 29 PSI and the throttle was at full power, suggesting the engine was running at impact
Pilot
- Gender: Male
- Nationality: Bolivian
- Date of Birth: 26 September 1988 (29 years old)
- License: Student Pilot License No. 8175968, issued 28 February 2018, valid to 26 February 2021
- Ratings: None
- Medical Certificate: Second Class, issued 26 February 2018, valid to 28 February 2020
- Total Flight Hours: None recorded
- The pilot had no experience in agricultural flight and was in a phase of instruction
Flight Details
- No flight plan or pre-flight records were found
- No communications were made with any ground station before or during the flight
- No air traffic control services were involved
- The flight was conducted in a rural agricultural area; the precise coordinates were not recorded
Damage
- The airframe suffered extensive damage and was considered a total loss
- The engine and propeller were also total losses
- No post-crash fire was observed
Injuries
The pilot sustained fatal injuries as recorded in the accident report.
Analysis
The investigation was limited by the lack of witnesses, meteorological data, and flight documentation. The aircraft's maintenance records were outdated, with the last recorded work in December 2016. The pilot held only a student pilot license, which is not valid for conducting agricultural operations. The engine appeared to be operating at the time of impact, but the exact sequence of events could not be determined. The aircraft's flight hour log showed no entries after the last maintenance release.
Conclusions
Based on available evidence:
- The aircraft had a valid restricted category airworthiness certificate for agriculture
- The pilot possessed only a student pilot license, not appropriate for the flight conducted
- The pilot's medical certificate was valid
- The aircraft's last maintenance was performed 16 months before the accident
- The engine tachometer read 0141.4 hours at the accident site
- No evidence of fire was found
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was not provided in the source material.