What happened
On May 21, 2000, a Magni M18 autogyro, registered as F-WUUL, departed from Aveiro Municipal Aerodrome for a local VFR flight. Approximately 15 minutes into the flight, the pilot noticed engine irregularities and decided to perform an emergency precautionary landing on the sandy beach at S. Jacinto, west of Ave and near the Aveiro coast.
During the landing, while the engine was still running, one of the two rotor blades struck the wet sand. The impact caused the blade to fracture at the root. The pilot, wearing a two-point safety belt, sustained no injuries. Following the landing, the pilot determined that the engine malfunction was caused by fuel exhaustion, noting that the aircraft lacks a fuel quantity indicator.
The investigation
The GPIAAF investigation revealed several regulatory discrepancies regarding the aircraft and the pilot. The F-WUUL was owned by a Portuguese club but held a French "Laissez-Passer Exceptionnel" that was expired and only authorized experimental flight within French territory. The aircraft had been transported to Portugal by land in early 1999 and was being operated from an improvised strip in Northern Portugal.
Regarding the pilot, the investigation found that the pilot's French flight authorization was invalid at the time of the accident, as it was tied to an expired airworthiness permit for the aircraft. Additionally, the pilot's Portuguese ultralight pilot license was also invalid. The investigation also noted a lack of flight logs to verify the pilot's experience in this specific aircraft type and a lack of technical logs for the aircraft's maintenance history.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was poor flight planning regarding fuel management.
- The aircraft was being operated in Portugal without authorization from the Portuguese or French aviation authorities.
- The aircraft lacked a regulatory identification plate (manufacturer, model, and serial number).
- The pilot demonstrated a lack of knowledge regarding the aeronautical regulations of both France and Portugal.
- There was no evidence of recent maintenance or flight hours for the pilot in the appropriate logbooks.