On September 6, 2016, a PIPER 34 (registration D-GLLW) was involved in an aviation accident near Skopje, MK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: about the meteorological conditions ..................................................30 3. Conclusion ...................................................................................................... This summary draws on records from the Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Committee of North Macedonia (KINSIV).
A Piper PA-34 Seneca II, registration D-GLLW, crashed near Skopje, Macedonia, on 6 September 2016. All six people on board were killed. The aircraft was destroyed, and no flight recorders were installed.
Flight History and Accident Overview On 6 September 2016, a Piper PA-34 Seneca II with registration D-GLLW departed from Treviso, Italy, for Skopje, Macedonia, under a filed flight plan. Witnesses from other aircraft in the group reported that the flight proceeded routinely. The aircraft entered Skopje Flight Information Region, was accepted by air traffic control, and was vectored for an instrument approach to runway 34. Communication was generally routine, though some pilot transmissions were unclear. The aircraft was tracked on radar with identification, altitude, speed, and direction displayed. The controller issued headings and altitudes for descent and, before the approach, offered a right-hand 360-degree turn to reduce altitude. The aircraft established the instrument approach and was transferred to the Skopje tower controller. Immediately after the transfer, radio and radar contact was lost, and a search and rescue operation began. Aircraft parts were later found at a location called Kozhle, 14.5 km south of the threshold of runway 34 at Skopje Airport. ## Casualties and Injuries The aircraft carried one crew member and five passengers. All six people on board were killed. The captain, the pilot, and four passengers were Italian citizens; one passenger was a Kosovo citizen. The passengers consisted of four males and one female. ## Aircraft Damage and Site The Piper PA-34 Seneca II suffered structural damage and was completely destroyed. The wreckage was spread over a larger area but did not cause damage to third parties. The accident site was in a hilly, forested region west of the village of Kozhle, in the municipality of Petrovec, within the Skopje administrative region of the Republic of Macedonia. The remains were scattered over approximately 2.5 hectares on the northern and eastern slopes of a hill, with the greatest distances between debris markers measuring 290 meters in the northwest direction and 90 meters in the northeast direction. ## Aircraft and Maintenance Information The aircraft was a two-engine Piper PA-34 Seneca II with a metal construction, registered in Germany. It was manufactured in 1980, had serial number 34-8070170, and was equipped with two Continental TSIO-360E engines. The aircraft had seats for four passengers and a total weight of 1,470 kg. It was maintained under a base maintenance agreement in Brescia, Italy, according to an approved maintenance program. The aircraft had a total flight duration of 1,328 hours and 46 minutes from 2008 to 2016. In August 2010, the aircraft had an incident during landing with one active engine and no lowered landing gear, causing structural damage to the airframe and landing units. After repairs, the aircraft was issued a certificate of airworthiness without additional observations or recommendations. ## Crew and Operational Details The captain was a 59-year-old man in good health who also served as club president and chief financial officer. He held a valid single-engine and multi-engine land rating and an IFR rating, all valid until 31 October 2016. His total flight time was 1,205.14 hours, with 151.14 hours of IFR flight. His last IFR flight before the accident was on 5 July 2016. He had 120.58 hours of flight instruction on the PA-34 Seneca II type. The air traffic controller involved was experienced and held a valid license and medical certificate for the Skopje terminal area. ## Meteorological and Navigational Conditions On 5 September 2016, a cold air mass in the upper atmosphere led to cyclonic convection over the northern Balkan Peninsula and cyclogenesis in the mid-Adriatic region. The cyclone remained relatively stationary, with its most pronounced impact on 6 September 2016. Macedonia was under the influence of a warm atmospheric front, with complete cloud cover and cloud bases generally between 600 and 1,500 meters above mean sea level. The 0°C isotherm was at approximately 3,500 meters. Radio navigation and surveillance systems, including VOR, DME, ILS for runway 34, and radar, operated normally during the accident. The ILS runway 34 instrument approach procedure was published in the Aeronautical Data Collection of the Republic of Macedonia and developed in accordance with ICAO standards. The aircraft did not have flight recording devices.