Overview
On April 8, 2018, a Piper PA-34-220T, registration LV-GZK, departed from Santiago Germano Airport in San Rafael, Mendoza, at 12:58 UTC, bound for the Tandil aeroclub in Buenos Aires, on a general aviation flight. After 55 minutes of visual flight conditions, the pilot inadvertently entered instrument meteorological conditions and the aircraft impacted terrain in a controlled manner at 14:37 UTC near Pellegrini, Buenos Aires. All five occupants—one pilot and four passengers—sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was destroyed, both engines sustained substantial damage, and the propellers were destroyed. Additionally, the crash damaged approximately 1,800 square meters of a cornfield and 30 meters of perimeter fencing.
Pilot Information
The pilot was a 36-year-old Argentine male holding a private pilot license with ratings for single- and multi-engine land aircraft up to 5,700 kg. His documentation was in compliance with regulations for visual flight rules (VFR) operations.
Aircraft Information
The accident aircraft was a Piper PA-34-220T, registration LV-GZK. No further details on the aircraft's maintenance history or equipment were provided in the source.
Meteorological Information
The flight began under visual meteorological conditions but later encountered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The source notes the pilot became inadvertently involved in IMC, leading to a controlled flight into terrain.
Wreckage and Impact
The aircraft impacted terrain in a controlled manner. The fuselage was destroyed, engines and propellers were severely damaged. The accident site was a cornfield, with damage to crops and fencing.
Medical and Pathological Information
Toxicology tests were performed, but the source did not specify results. The occupants sustained fatal injuries as explicitly stated.
Investigation
The investigation was conducted by the Junta de Investigación de Accidentes de Aviación Civil (JIAAC). The report identifies safety issues related to the pilot's operational performance in adverse weather, oversight of services, and training of private pilots and Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) personnel. However, no probable cause was explicitly stated in the provided excerpts.
Recommendations
The JIAAC issued two safety recommendations to the Administración Nacional de Aviación Civil (ANAC) and one recommendation to the Empresa Argentina de Navegación Aérea (EANA), focusing on pilot training, meteorological information services, and regulatory oversight.