- ACCIDENT DETAILS
Date: November 21, 2022
Time: 1015
Location: Medellín, Colombia
Operator: AeroPaca SAS
Flight #: ?
Route: Medellín - Pizarro
AC Type: Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain
Registration: HK-5121 
cn / ln: 31-7652004
Aboard: 8   (passengers:6  crew:2)
Fatalities: 8   (passengers:6  crew:2)
Ground: 0
Summary: The plane was chartered to carry a team of six people from Medellín to Pizarro, Choco. Shortly after taking off from runway 02 at Medellín-Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport, the crew encountered engine problems. The airplane lost altitude, went out of control and crashed onto a house, less than one-half mile from the runway end and burst in flames.The accident was the consequence of the combination of the following factors:- A loss of control in flight as a result of a decrease in minimum control speed and drag, caused by a loss of power on the left engine; A failure of the propeller feathering system on engine, caused by an excessive amount of grease accumulated in the blade coupling section, which prevented the propeller from being feathered quickly (or feathering at all) when the crew attempted to do so; The uncontrolled rotation of the propeller (spinning) created significant drag and made it more difficult to control the aircraft. The confirmed loss of power on the left engine, of undetermined origin, was probably caused by a turbocharger malfunction; An excess aircraft weight (approximately 770 lb or 349 kg above the MTOW), contributed to the aircraft's inability to accelerate and climb.
Sources

Return to Home Page

Copyright © Richard Kebabjian / www.planecrashinfo.com