Background
The aircraft, a Piper PA-28R-200 registered as HB-PAM, was privately owned. The pilot, a Swiss citizen born in 1916, held a private pilot license but was not authorized or trained for instrument flight rules (IFR). The aircraft was IFR-certified but lacked de-icing equipment.
Flight History
On 10 February 1984, the pilot and two companions flew commercially to Cannes, France. The next day, they flew the Piper to Alicante, then to Malaga, Rabat, Marrakech, and finally to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. During this journey, the aircraft reportedly had equipment issues, including intermittent VOR reception and engine oil leaks. The companions described the pilot as often hasty and prone to incorrect instrument interpretations. They returned to Switzerland on 19 February.
On 23 February, the pilot departed Fuerteventura alone, stopping in Malaga and picking up two passengers before reaching Gerona, Spain. On 25 February, he filed a flight plan from Gerona to Cannes, indicating VFR initially but then IFR at flight level 080 (about 2440 m) along airway G-7.
Accident Sequence
At 1309 GMT, Marseille Control instructed the pilot to fly directly to VOR Trets (TRS) after he deviated right of the airway. The pilot initially requested direct to VOR St. Tropez (STP), but was denied. At 1324, he reported icing and requested descent to flight level 60. Control responded that his transponder signal was lost and told him to maintain 80 and report a radial to TRS. Shortly after, the pilot's transmission was cut off and could not be reestablished.
Radar recordings showed the aircraft's echo disappearing about 45 km southwest of Marseille. A search involving a Breguet Atlantic and a Puma helicopter found no trace of the pilot or aircraft.
Findings
The pilot was not IFR-qualified. The aircraft was IFR-certified but lacked de-icing equipment. Weather in the area included a low-pressure system with layered clouds, precipitation, and icing conditions between 1400 and 1800 m. The pilot likely encountered ice accretion, leading to loss of control.
Cause
The accident is attributed to the fact that the pilot, neither authorized nor trained for IFR, flew into icing conditions in an aircraft without de-icing equipment during an IFR flight in IMC, leading to loss of control and crash into the sea.