The report in to the light aircraft that crashed into a LIDL supermarket in Cascais this April, has been hampered due the high speed of the impact and the fire that destroyed much evidence.
The Bureau of Prevention and Investigation of Accidents said today that the investigation is ongoing and that the final report will be published "as soon as possible."
The plane crashed in Tires, Cascais, on April 17, 2017 causing five deaths after it lost control and collided with a loading bay roof at the LIDL store in Tires, Cascais.
The aircraft lost control soon after the take off from the Cascais Municipal Aerodrome. There was a steep descent which culminated in the impact with the supermarket loading bay.
"The aircraft exploded, setting light to a lorry." The aircraft was destroyed by the impact and by the post-collision fire. The four occupants died, as did one lorry driver, 40, who was unloading goods at the read of the store.
The Piper was bound for Marseilles. The occupants were Jean Plé, 69, a director of Symbios Orthopaedics, of Jean-Pierre Franceschi, a well-known orthopaedic surgeon linked to the world of sports, his wife and a friend of both.
"No pre-existing structural deficiencies were found that could have contributed to the crash," reads the preliminary report, with all aircraft controls located at the site and analysed.
"The aircraft was not equipped with a flight data recorder, nor was this a requirement." The aircraft had all valid airworthiness licenses and permits but the maintenance schedule still need to be checked," reads the report, adding that the "technical documentation of the aircraft will be checked for discrepancies.”
"Different parts of the aircraft will be analyzed further to assess their functionality and to validate all the evidence gathered by the investigation, since the wreckage collected is in very bad condition due to the violence of the impact and the very high temperatures generated by the post-impact fire."
The twin-engine Cheyenne II, owned by Symbios Orthopaedics, came down in a densely populated area and in addition to the fatalities, there were four minor injuries due to smoke inhalation.
Organisations from Switzerland, France, the United States of America and Canada are participating in the air accident investigation. The Bureau also is counting on the contribution of the manufacturers of the aircraft body, its motors and propellers.
