What happened
The aircraft was involved in a flight that ended with a forced landing on a dirt road. During the approach, the plane collided with rocks and subsequently nosed over. Prior to the incident, the engine had ceased operation due to a lack of fuel. The pilot reported that while refueling occurred the day before the accident, he did not physically check the fuel quantity on the day of the flight. The aircraft had accumulated approximately three hours of flight time on the accident day before the engine stopped.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical state of the aircraft and the pilot's actions leading up to the event. Examination confirmed that the engine failure was caused by fuel exhaustion. No other mechanical anomalies were identified as contributing factors. The physical damage sustained during the impact with rocks and the subsequent nose-over was consistent with the forced landing scenario described.
Findings
The primary factor in this accident was fuel exhaustion. Contributing to this was the pilot's failure to physically check the fuel quantity before flight, despite refueling the previous day. The aircraft had flown for about three hours on the day of the accident, which likely depleted the available fuel supply. The decision to take off without verifying the actual fuel level led directly to the engine stopping in flight.
Safety message
Pilots must always physically check fuel quantity before every flight, regardless of when the aircraft was last refueled. Relying on memory or previous refueling records can lead to dangerous situations where fuel levels are insufficient for the planned flight.