What happened
On September 16, 2007, a Piper PA-28-181 Archer II, registration HB-PGC, departed from Florence-Peretola, Italy, bound for Zurich. The flight, which included the pilot and three passengers, originally intended to traverse the Gotthard Pass. However, as the aircraft approached the Alps, the pilot encountered heavy cloud cover obscuring the mountain passes.
At approximately 18:56, the pilot contacted Zurich Information to inquire about weather conditions north of the Gotthard Pass and was informed that the visual flight rules (VFR) route was closed due to weather. Despite this, the aircraft continued flying near Ambri at an altitude of approximately 2,500 meters. Shortly after 19:03, the aircraft performed a large turn and, at 19:05, struck the terrain near Bocchetta di Föisc, north of Airolo. The impact resulted in two fatalities and left the pilot and one other passenger with serious injuries. The aircraft was destroyed.
The investigation
The investigation established that the pilot was in the process of converting an American license to a European JAR license. While the pilot had completed training at one flight school, they had recently moved to a different organization in Zurich to finalize the conversion. Investigators found that the pilot's previous instructors had noted difficulties with navigation and mountain flying, as well as a lack of realistic self-assessment regarding their skills.
Technical analysis revealed that at the time of the crash, the aircraft's center of gravity was at the most rearward limit. Additionally, the emergency locator transmitter (ELBA) was found to be non-functional due to a depleted battery caused by a faulty transmitter stage. The search for the wreckage was delayed by nightfall and poor weather, with the site eventually being located by a helicopter crew the following morning.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the decision to continue flight in the presence of insufficient visual references.
- The pilot possessed limited experience regarding mountain operations under demanding meteorological conditions.
- Flight preparation was incomplete, specifically regarding weather information for the Alpine region.
- There was an inadequate exchange of information regarding the pilot's training deficiencies between different flight training organizations.
Safety action
Following the accident, the Swiss Pilots School Association implemented new protocols for student transfers. Instructors are now required to contact a student's previous flight instructor to discuss performance history and the reasons for the transfer to ensure a complete understanding of the student's competencies.