Cessna 188 Makes Emergency Landing on Ecuador Banana Plantation

A Cessna 188 agricultural aircraft, registration HC-BZY, made an emergency landing on a banana plantation in the Los Tsáchilas province of Ecuador on May 17, 2026. The pilot, a qualified fumigation specialist with 6,500 total flight hours, reported a loss of engine power while operating at low altitude.

According to Ecuador's Dirección General de Aviación Civil (DGAC), the aircraft had departed Pasaje with 41 gallons of fuel and had completed several agricultural missions prior to the incident. The pilot escaped without serious injury, though the aircraft sustained damage, including separation of the landing gear during the forced landing.

The DGAC identified improper mixture-control handling intended to economize fuel as the probable cause of the engine power loss. The agency cited insufficient fuel monitoring and the aircraft's low altitude at the time of the failure as contributing factors.