and all other pilots (who came back to Gerany today) reported that it was flyable VFR and that they all arrived at the next destionation without problems, VFR
One explanation is that (obviously) they didn’t fly the same route. Another is that this was a VFR flight… nobody will say otherwise especially when there is likely to be a big investigation.
To confirm the above, wx was pretty bad:
…
but they would have known that anyway
Well, at those airports the TAFs do not look too deterring. The lowest in those listed shows SCT012 BKN020 with PROBs and TEMPOs for somewhat lower ceilings and poor visibility, although legal in class G, that they may have thought they would be able to circumnavigate. But it does not mean you will have those ceilings anywhere else than at those locations. If the airport is surrounded by 6000’ mountains, there is a big chance they will be in the clouds.
When you venture into hilly or mountanous terrain, you need a lot better weather than that.
Maroma mountain
From nobbi’s post
a routing from Nerja (on the coast, near the middle of above pic) to Granada (top right) was clearly going to be interesting, given that cloud cover. I have flown from LEAX back to the UK twice and one has to go east along the coast for a while, until the terrain reduces and one climbs to c. 9000ft. The other way would have been to the west and climbing and then go through that pass near Zafarraya but that doesn’t help much in terms of terrain. That however looks a more likely route to have been tried in this case. The crash site, Canilas de Aceituno, is here, well to the east of what would have been somewhat lower terrain, following the A402
I wonder what their alternates were given the wx at LEMG was probably sub-VFR and LEAX was likely similar (but LEAX doesn’t supply wx).
I too have flown in that area and it would appear unlikely that two, (experienced), pilots, would venture into those mountains, unless clear VFR. It does not make any sense. Viewed form Velez, they are quite imposing. Plenty of alternates around also.
If mechanical, limited options for putting it down successfully. It may just be a case of very bad luck if the engine quit.
regarding the weather (another article from May 1st)
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news-spain/sol/Three_Germans_have_died_in_a_small_plane_crash_in_the_Axarqu_a.shtmlIt could well have been engine issues. Flying single engine over that sort of terrain is never without its risks.
Fuji_Abound wrote:
It could well have been engine issues.
It could have been almost anything. Wasn’t there a tragedy caused by a birdstrike in that area not too long ago? I really can’t imagine that the “safety pilot” they carried aboard who was flying for Lufthansa would have done any low-level YFR-flying in that kind of terrain. Absolutely not.
You’re putting a lot of faith in people! Sometimes they might want to fly without the restrictions and all the rules from the job. A lot of people reverse what they do during business hours!
Fuji_Abound wrote:
It could well have been engine issues. Flying single engine over that sort of terrain is never without its risks.
It can always be engine issues but with those reports and hitting the side of a mountain let’s be honest, it probably wasn’t. In any event they will be able to tell if the engine was developing power when it hit.
Perhaps they mistook the valley for Velez and turned too early.
JasonC wrote:
Perhaps they mistook the valley for Velez and turned too early.
Agree, it could be anything. However, have to assume they have some sort of moving map, even an I pad running Sky Demon. It they did mistake it for the Velez valley, that is a wide opening up to the pass. It would be a very big error.
