UK Aircraft Pyrenees Crash Spain

[Mike Flynn]

MADRID, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and the other is missing after a light aircraft crashed in the Basque Region in northern Spain on Wednesday, according to rescue services.

The accident happened at around 14:00 p.m. local time on the 1,078-meter high Mount Hernio, in the province of Gipuzkoa, which was covered in mist at the time.

A local resident heard an explosion and informed the Basque regional police.

Nationality of the two people on board remains unknown.

The aircraft involved in the accident was reported as a UK registered Piper, which had taken off from the Portuguese town of Cascais earlier in the day on-route to the airport at Hondarribia, which is close to the border between Spain and France.

Rescue services were quickly on the scene, although the work of a rescue helicopter was severely limited by the adverse weather conditions.

The burned out wreckage of the plate was discovered at around 15:45 p.m. local time along with the body of one of the two on board. The search for the second person had to be suspended shortly after 18:00 p.m. due to the lack of light.

The area around the crash site has been sealed off by investigators. Rescue services will renew their search for the second person on Thursday, although there is little hope of finding them alive.






ei


This looks like a tragic CFIT Pyrenees accident.









https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...hes-Spain.html

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-...eared-13837197

[DaveReidUK]

Second body found this morning.

[Mike Flynn]

Looks like it may be Shoreham based ex Cabair Arrow.

[Procrastinus]

Reminds me of Neil Williams' tragic crash.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by Mike Flynn

Looks like it may be Shoreham based ex Cabair Arrow.

If, as reported, it's G-OARI it normally flies from Deanland, near Lewes. Registered owner lives in nearby Herstmonceaux.

[piperboy84]

Been into that airfield a couple of times for a stopover, wouldn't want to do it in anything but good conditions. The proverbial "box canyon".
Poor folks.

[broadreach]

Originally Posted by piperboy84

Been into that airfield a couple of times for a stopover, wouldn't want to do it in anything but good conditions. The proverbial "box canyon".

Hondarribia/San Sebastian a box canyon??

[Mike Flynn]

Names now published. Two very experienced pilots.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-46820519

[Jetscream 32]

RIP David, sad loss of very experienced chaps - Banner 1

[piperboy84]

Originally Posted by broadreach

Hondarribia/San Sebastian a box canyon??

It certainly felt like it for an amatuer like myself coming in off the sea in gusty conditions. I guess it's irrelevant as these poor chaps hit the mountain several miles inland. I've done a few hops over the mountains between San Sebastian and Pamplona and there's not many, if any, places i'd want to try and put it down in. Again a tragedy for all involved.

[lpvapproach]

Tragic.

Do we know if either of the pilots were instrument rated?

[compton3bravo]

Know the area quite well although never flew it. The weather can change so quickly one minute you are driving in bright sunlight then all of a sudden you are in thick fog. Very sad but it looks like one of those let's carry on regardless moments unfortunately.

[Jonzarno]

Originally Posted by lpvapproach

Tragic.

Do we know if either of the pilots were instrument rated?

Yes: posted elsewhere that at least one of the victims was a highly respected and experienced instrument rated pilot.

[Mike Flynn]

Accident site




Cockpit picture 9.35 am on the day of the accident



To quote the Daily Telegraph.

In a recording of what is thought to have been the pair's final communication with air traffic control before they crashed, they were heard discussing a change in their route when flying in foggy conditions.

The Piper PA-28 plane took off from Cascais, southern Portugal, and was heading towards Hondarribia airfield in northern Spain when it crashed in misty conditions on the 3,500ft Hernio mountain early on Wednesday afternoon.

[Cows getting bigger]

Nice ALT warning light combined with an ammeter (to be more precise, an alternator load meter) that is on/near the bottom stop.

[what next]

Originally Posted by Cows getting bigger

Nice ALT warning light combined with an ammeter (to be more precise, an alternator load meter) that is on/near the bottom stop.

Yes, but this picture was taken at the beginning of the flight. They could not have flown all the way to the crash site on battery power alone. Either the indication is wrong (I know this well from the Pipers in our flying school fleet - when the battery is fully charged and the avionics don't consume much power we get the same indication) or they got their alternator back on line.

[Cows getting bigger]

Or they pressed-on with no electrics. None of us have a crystal ball.

[lpvapproach]

Originally Posted by Cows getting bigger

Or they pressed-on with no electrics.

It seems highly unlikely they would continue across most of Spain in this situation, esp when any failure, if indeed there was one, occurred in VMC with riks of that changing further on.

[broadreach]

Originally Posted by piperboy84

It certainly felt like it for an amatuer like myself coming in off the sea in gusty conditions. I guess it's irrelevant as these poor chaps hit the mountain several miles inland. I've done a few hops over the mountains between San Sebastian and Pamplona and there's not many, if any, places i'd want to try and put it down in. Again a tragedy for all involved.

Thanks and I take your point about not many places to put down! I drove from Barcelona to Hondarribia last May and spent a pleasant touristy day walking around. To my inexperienced eye it does look as if they began the descent too soon.

[Mike Flynn]

Weather for the day of the accident.

SA
09/01/2019 14:00->
METAR LESO 091400Z 04003KT 010V100 9999 BKN045 09/04 Q1026=
SA
09/01/2019 13:30->
METAR LESO 091330Z 07003KT 020V100 9999 BKN045 09/04 Q1026=
SA
09/01/2019 13:00->
METAR LESO 091300Z 08003G14KT 020V150 9999 BKN045 09/04 Q1027=
SA
09/01/2019 12:30->
METAR LESO 091230Z 09004KT 040V120 9999 BKN045 08/04 Q1027=
SA
09/01/2019 12:00->
METAR LESO 091200Z 06004KT 010V100 9999 BKN040 08/05 Q1028=
SA
09/01/2019 11:30->
METAR LESO 091130Z 08004KT 030V110 9999 BKN040 09/05 Q1028=
SA
09/01/2019 11:00->
METAR LESO 091100Z 10003KT 060V150 9999 BKN040 08/05 Q1028=
SA
09/01/2019 10:30->
METAR LESO 091030Z 07004KT 040V100 9999 BKN027 09/05 Q1029=
SA
09/01/2019 10:00->
METAR LESO 091000Z VRB02KT 9999 SCT017 BKN027 08/05 Q1028=
SA
09/01/2019 09:30->
METAR LESO 090930Z 07008KT 9999 BKN017 09/06 Q1028=
SA
09/01/2019 09:00->
METAR LESO 090900Z 06009KT 030V100 9999 BKN013 09/07 Q1028=
SA
09/01/2019 08:30->
METAR LESO 090830Z 06010KT 9999 SCT010 BKN015 09/07 Q1027=
SA
09/01/2019 08:00->
METAR LESO 090800Z 29005KT 240V340 9999 SCT015 BKN030 11/07
Q1027=