A lack of fuel caused the crash of Piper PA-23 Apache with tail number N3294P during approach in Múlakot on 9.June 2019, Vísir reported with the reference to Icelandic aviation investigation agency RNSA report. Five people were on board, three of them died. The plane was flying from Vík í Mýrdal aerodrome after general aviation meeting.
The RNSA’s report states that there was not enough fuel for the flight, considering the plane performed several lowpasses in Múlakot before the last approach. According to investigators, left engine stopped shortly before the third lowpass over runway 29 , and then the right engine lost the power just before the final turn. The committee also believes that the limited experience of both pilots in this particular type of aircraft could have affected their response to emergencies. The testimonies of numerous witnesses of the plane crash are also presented. They described how the plane was flown in slowly and low to land. The plane had tilted more and more to the left before it crashed.
The report states, that a witness talked to the father of the family about flight endurance and fuel after arriving in Vík í Mýrdal. The witness believed that fuel on the plane would not be enough for a flight to Djúpivogur. Witness says that the father of the family has said that he intends to refuel at Höfn in Hornafjörður, in addition to the fact that he had filled the main fuel tanks at Hella earlier in the day. The report states that according to information from Isavia, the plane did not land at Höfn at that day, in addition to the fact that at Múlakot.
Five people were on board and three of them died in the accident: a couple in their sixties and their 20 years old son. The father of the family was an experienced pilot, with about 18 600 flying hours behind him and the son taking his first steps in the flight, with about 260 flying hours behind him. The whole family was aviation enthusiasts. Two others were on board and were seriously injured in the accident.
An RNSA investigation revealed very limited access to Avgas 100LL fuel in the southeastern part of the country. The report states that on the route, Avgas 100LL fuel can only be purchased at the private airport in Skaftafell, and delivery there is limited and seasonal. The manager of the airport in Skaftafell was not contacted with a request for fuel in connection with the flight of the aircraft that day.
