History of the Flight
On Monday, 16 July 2012, at 14:28 local time, an Air Tractor 802 aircraft, registration EC-HMD, departed from Ibiza Airport on a firefighting mission to Mallorca. During the climb, at an altitude between 800 and 900 feet above ground level, the pilot observed that the engine was losing power without stopping completely, with N1 above 50%. The pilot immediately jettisoned the water load and began searching for a suitable landing area. An in-flight engine restart procedure was attempted but proved unsuccessful in restoring sufficient power. The pilot then conducted an emergency landing in a field. During the landing, the aircraft sustained damage to its wings, propeller, and forward fuselage. The pilot was uninjured.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 30, held a Commercial Pilot License with an AT-802 rating valid until 31 March 2014, and an agricultural rating valid until 1 March 2013. His medical certificate was current. He had accumulated 1,967 total flight hours, with 420 hours on the AT-802 type. In the preceding 90 days, he had flown 18.5 hours; in the last 30 days, 6 hours 35 minutes; and in the last 24 hours, 55 minutes.
Aircraft Information
The Air Tractor 802 is a low-wing, metal-fuselage single-engine aircraft designed for agricultural and firefighting operations. It was equipped with a 1,350-horsepower PT6A-67AG engine driving a Hartzell constant-speed propeller with reverse thrust capability. The aircraft's Airworthiness Review Certificate had been issued on 16 May 2012 and was valid for one year. The airframe had 1,586.5 total flight hours, and the engine had 2,010.1 hours. Both airframe and engine had undergone a 100-hour inspection in May 2012. The engine required overhaul every 3,000 hours and had 989.5 hours remaining until the next overhaul. Since arriving at Ibiza in late May 2012, the aircraft had flown 24 hours with no reported discrepancies.
The environment at Ibiza Airport, adjacent to the sea and Ses Salines wetlands, was described as very humid and highly corrosive, affecting systems and equipment.
The powerplant was controlled by throttle, propeller speed, and start control levers. The start control lever had cut-off, run, and flight idle positions. The Flight Manual outlined procedures for engine flameout, typically indicated by drops in ITT, torque, and Ng. A common cause is fuel flow interruption. The restart procedure involved verifying fuel flow, ensuring mixture ignition, and retarding the thrust lever to idle; if Ng remained above 50%, restart was often possible without a full start sequence.
The Fuel Control Unit (FCU) is hydromechanical, regulating fuel based on compressor discharge pressure (P3) and Ng. In 2006, the engine manufacturer issued Service Bulletin 14389 to address potential bellows leaks that could cause engine roll-back. The bulletin recommended replacing the FCU with a version having a more robust bellows and a flow deflector. Later revisions expanded applicability and changed compliance category. The scheduled 100-hour check could not assess internal bellows condition. The FCU on the incident engine had been sent to the manufacturer in August 2010 for starting problems, where misadjustments and bellows fastening issues were corrected; Service Bulletin 14389 was not applied at that time.
All PT6A engines for single-engine aircraft feature a Manual Override (MOR) device for manual fuel flow control in case of pneumatic faults. The incident aircraft did not have this system installed, nor did any other aircraft in the operator's fleet at the time. However, after this incident, company management decided to require MOR installation on future fleet additions.
Meteorological Information
Visibility was very good, with wind from the southeast at approximately 10 knots.
Communications
At 14:24, after takeoff, the aircraft contacted Palma Area Control Center (ACC), which reported no traffic along its route. At 14:25, the pilot declared a MAYDAY, reporting total loss of power. When asked if returning to Ibiza, the pilot replied negatively. The ACC then coordinated with Ibiza Tower to halt departures and transferred other aircraft to focus on the emergency. Several attempts to re-contact the aircraft were unsuccessful. At 14:44, the tower informed ACC that the aircraft had landed and the pilot was safe, as reported by forest rangers at the scene.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane landed on a clearing in a forested area on an approximate heading of 140°, perpendicular to a row of trees aligned with power lines. The first landing gear tire marks were identified approximately 200 meters from these obstacles, followed by deeper marks 10 meters further, indicating brake application.