What happened
On March 30, 2003, a RANS Coyote II XL, registration CS-UIO, departed Beja Aerodrome for a VFR flight to Évora with the pilot and one passenger. After landing in Évora, the crew began the return flight to Beja. During the return leg, the pilot extended the flight path to fly over a property near the south of the city at the passenger's request, without recalculating the remaining fuel requirements.
While performing a long approach to runway 35, approximately one kilometer from the aerodrome, the engine stopped. The pilot attempted to restart the engine five times without success. Although the pilot determined that the aircraft's glide ratio allowed for a landing on the runway, the aircraft lost altitude while attempting to clear a perimeter fence. The nose gear struck a fence post, and the right main landing gear became entangled in barbed wire, causing it to separate from the airframe. The aircraft subsequently struck the ground, causing the right wingtip to touch the soil and the propeller to break upon impact. Both occupants escaped without injury.
The investigation
The GPIAAF investigation examined the aircraft's maintenance records, the pilot's experience, and the flight's fuel management. The investigation found that while the pilot was properly licensed, the aircraft's maintenance logs for both the airframe and the engine lacked sufficient detail regarding recent work. Additionally, the engine's hour meter indicated significantly more usage than what was recorded in the airframe's logbook. The investigation also noted that the aircraft was operating without a valid radio station license.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was engine failure due to fuel exhaustion.
- Contributing factors included deficient fuel management, as the pilot failed to account for the extra flight time requested during the trip, and ineffective planning for the execution of the emergency landing.
- The pilot's attempt to climb over the fence at a low airspeed near the aircraft's stall speed contributed to the loss of altitude and subsequent impact with the fence.