What happened
During a local skydiving flight, a twin-engine aircraft carrying two pilots and 17 skydivers experienced a sudden loss of power in both engines. The incident occurred shortly after takeoff while the aircraft was in its climbing phase. According to the pilot, the failure of both engines happened simultaneously without causing any significant yawing motion. The only cockpit warnings observed were the lights indicating a double engine failure.
As the aircraft lost power, the airspeed dropped quickly. The pilot suspected that the automatic outboard wing spoilers may have deployed during this period. To manage the loss of energy, the pilot executed a steep descent to preserve airspeed and performed a 90-degree right turn to align the aircraft with a suitable landing site. The crew identified a large field of corn stubble as the location for an emergency touchdown.
The aircraft impacted the ground in a nose-up attitude with a slight right bank at approximately 170 km/h. The impact resulted in significant structural damage to the wings, propellers, landing gear, wing struts, and the fuselage. Despite the heavy landing, all 19 occupants successfully evacuated the aircraft and sustained no injuries.
Findings
- Both engines experienced a simultaneous total power loss during the climb.
- Rapid decay in airspeed occurred, potentially exacerbated by the deployment of automatic outboard wing spoilers.