Bukulti plane crashed during a flying test

 RIGA, Nov 14 - The four-seat plane that crashed in Bukulti yesterday had taken off for a flying test, Civil Aviation Agency Director Maris Gorodcovs said in an interview with Latvian State Radio this morning.
Several versions are being investigated, including that the plane crashed during an exercise where one engine had to be switched off. This is suggested by the fact that the plane was nosediving before the crash.
The investigators are also to determine if the flight altitude was sufficient.
A pilot must be able to fly the plane with just one engine working in order to be certified, said Gorodcovs.
He also said he found it very unlikely that both engines of the plane had died. In that case, the plane should have been gliding, not nosediving. Pilots who have flown the plane consider it to be very stable.
The instructor who died in the plane crash was one of the most experienced Estonian pilots with the highest qualifications. He was working at Tartu Flight Center and had piloted the particular plane several times.
Portal "Delfi.ee" reports that the deceased Estonian is Maido Veebel who recently held a senior post at "Estonian Air".
The "Tecnam" plane was registered this past March and it was a very new model, sold since 2008. Altogether, 100 such planes have been manufactured, and the one that crashed yesterday had hull number 56.
As reported, both the pilot and the instructor died in the plane crash.
The plane belonged to a local flight school based at Spilve Airfield.
leta.lv

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