Date & Time:
Jul 19, 2013 at 1234 LT
Type of aircraft:
Britten-Norman Islander
Operator:
Registration:
HP-1338MF
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Punta Coco - Panama City
MSN:
818
YOM:
1977
Country:
Panama
Region:
Central America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
7
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total hours on type:
2200
Aircraft flight hours:
8178
Circumstances:
Few minutes after takeoff from Punta Coco Airport (Isla del Rey), while overflying the bay of Panama at an altitude of 2,500 feet, the right engine failed. The pilot informed ATC about the situation, feathered the propeller and continued to the destination airport. Unable to reach Panama City-Marcos A. Gelabert Airport, the pilot reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing on the Perico Island, 8 km east of the destination airport. After touchdown, the right main gear was torn off then airplane slid for few dozen metres before coming to rest against a fret container. All eight occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
The cause of the accident was that the captain was forced to land in the Amador area two minutes before landing at MAG Airport, where the aircraft made contact with the terrain and during the landing roll, the right landing gear detached and collided with a cargo container. This was due to a series of events:
- The failure of the right engine due to an oil leak from the base (adapter) of the oil filter.
- The shutdown of the right engine in flight, due to a failure of the indication that appeared on the cockpit control instruments.
- The descent from 2,500 feet to 1,700 feet in order to land on Contadora Island, without which the descent could have maintained enough altitude to reach MAG.
- Human error in not deciding to land on the runway of Contadora Island and instead continuing the flight towards MAG Airport with an engine that was off at that time.
- The loss of altitude as the aircraft headed towards MAG due to not having cylinder compression within the manufacturer's limits.
- The possible influence of the weight of the occupants and cargo, which prevented maintaining altitude with only one functioning engine due to inadequate cylinder compression.
- The failure of the right engine due to an oil leak from the base (adapter) of the oil filter.
- The shutdown of the right engine in flight, due to a failure of the indication that appeared on the cockpit control instruments.
- The descent from 2,500 feet to 1,700 feet in order to land on Contadora Island, without which the descent could have maintained enough altitude to reach MAG.
- Human error in not deciding to land on the runway of Contadora Island and instead continuing the flight towards MAG Airport with an engine that was off at that time.
- The loss of altitude as the aircraft headed towards MAG due to not having cylinder compression within the manufacturer's limits.
- The possible influence of the weight of the occupants and cargo, which prevented maintaining altitude with only one functioning engine due to inadequate cylinder compression.
Final Report:
HP-1338MF.pdf2.6 MB
