What happened
On September 30, 2012, at approximately 04:58 UTC, a Cessna 414 departed from Innsbruck Airport, Austria, bound for Valencia, Spain. The flight was intended to be a visual flight rules (VFR) operation, carrying the pilot and seven passengers. Shortly after takeoff from runway 26, the aircraft performed a right turn toward waypoint GOLF before executing a left departure turn at 2,500 feet. The flight path then transitioned into an S-curve maneuver through the Wipptal valley toward the Brenner Pass.
While navigating the mountainous terrain, the aircraft entered an area of dense fog. The aircraft subsequently struck trees and collided with rising terrain in the municipality of Ellbögen. The impact caused a post-crash fire. The accident resulted in six fatalities (the pilot and five passengers) and two serious injuries among the remaining passengers. The aircraft was destroyed.
The investigation
The Austrian Federal Safety Investigation Board (SUB) reconstructed the flight sequence using witness statements from survivors, radio communications, and MLAT data. The investigation examined the pilot's qualifications, the nature of the flight, and the aircraft's technical condition. Investigators also reviewed the meteorological conditions at the time of the accident and the functionality of the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter (ELT).
Findings
- The pilot held a valid private pilot license but lacked the necessary instrument flight rules (IFR) rating required for the conditions encountered.
- The flight was conducted for compensation, as a fee of €6,500 had been agreed upon for the trip, making it an unauthorized commercial operation.
- The pilot had been conducting similar unpaid/commercial flights for at least two years without the appropriate legal permissions or certifications.
- The aircraft, while registered in the USA, was stationed in Zell am See, Austria.
- The pilot flew into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) without the required authorization or rating.
- Although the ELT activated and transmitted for 52 hours, the aircraft's antenna elements broke during the impact, significantly reducing the signal range and making electronic detection nearly impossible without eyewitnesses.
Safety action
- EASA: Implement measures to ensure pilots of aircraft stationed in EASA member states do not conduct commercial or for-hire flights without the appropriate licenses and authorizations.
- EASA: Develop measures to improve the reliability of emergency signals from ELTs following an impact, such as more robust antennas or automatic activation systems that transmit prior to impact.
- Austro Control: Take appropriate measures to ensure that signals from emergency transmitters can be effectively received following an accident.