Accident Socata TB20 Trinidad D-EKBI,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 242727
 
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Date:Friday 27 June 2003
Time:
Type:Silhouette image of generic TB20 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Socata TB20 Trinidad
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: D-EKBI
MSN: 355
Fatalities:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:near Salmantón -   Spain
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Madrid-Cuatro Vientos Airport
Destination airport:Bilbao Airport
Investigating agency: CIAIAC
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
At 11:09 h on 27th June 2003 the Socata TB-20 took off from Madrid-Cuatro Vientos Airport with destination Bilbao Airport. According to its VFR flight plan, estimated time of arrival at Bilbao Airport was 12:44 h. Its endurance was 2.45 h.
The flight progressed normally at a level of 7,300 ft and speeds of some 155 knots. The skies were slightly cloudy or clear throughout
the flight at cruising level.
When close to the Cantabrian mountain range, clouds started to fill the sky with their base at 2,500 or 3,500 ft, which became stationary over the Cantabrian coast on being pushed by light NW winds. The tops of the clouds exceeded 7,000 or 8,000 ft.
At 12:11 h (some 62 minutes after takeoff) the aircraft made contact with Bilbao Approach Control, when it started its descent, at some 37 NM from its destination airport.
In the communications maintained in the subsequent five minutes, which the controller had difficulty in understanding, he realized that the aircraft's pilot was having problems maintaining visual contact with the ground. The aircraft was surrounded by clouds and descended as far as the mountainous slope, crashing into it at a height of 3,780 ft, close to Pica de Aro peak and a short distance from the mountains' northern slope.
As the aircraft did not respond to the calls from control, the rescue services were alerted whilst at the same time efforts were made to ascertain possible contacts made by the aircraft w ith alternative aerodromes. Once the aircraft's endurance had been exhausted, a search was undertaken by the Search and Rescue (SAR) service. Although the aircraft was equipped with an ELT radio beacon, the clouds which covered the tops of the mountains prevented location of the wreckage and access to the site of the accident until the morning of the 28th, when the aircraft's occupants were found dead and the aircraft completely destroyed.


Causes
The main cause of the accident was the lack of visibility and the IMC conditions when the VFR flight entered an area of clouds over high mountain terrain. It lost contact with the ground and continued its descent at high speed. Possibly the pilot was not familiar with the surroundings and was not carrying out careful, observed navigation.
Various circumstances coincided at the scene of the accident, such as deficient communications and lack of knowledge on the part of the Bilbao approach control center (APP Bilbao) of the imminent arrival of the aircraft at TMA Bilbao. There was no communication from the aircraft reporting its earlier arrival at Bilbao with respect to its estimated time in the flight plan.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: CIAIAC
Report number: A-033/2003
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 2 years and 4 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

https://www.handelsblatt.com/arts_und_style/aus-aller-welt/maschine-in-spanien-an-einem-berg-zerschellt-zwei-bochumer-bei-flugzeug-absturz-getoetet/2255342.html?ticket=ST-2093271-XSZTi4QZgzgiooCyyQgM-ap3
CIAIAC

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
21-Sep-2020 13:58 gerard57 Added
21-Sep-2020 14:47 harro Updated [Registration, Cn, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, Accident report, ]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

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