What happened
On October 25, 2011, a Cessna 150L was performing a series of recreational flights involving multiple legs between Łódź-Lublinek, Poznań-Bednary, and Kobylnica. The aircraft carried two occupants on all segments of the flight. Prior to the initial departure, the aircraft was fueled with 125 liters of fuel, and no additional refueling took place during the subsequent stops.
During the final leg of the flight, the aircraft encountered significant headwinds of approximately 25 knots. To maintain performance under these conditions, the pilot operated the engine at increased RPM while utilizing continuous carburetor heat, resulting in a high-power, rich-mixture setting. While on approach to the Łódź-Lublinek aerodrome, the engine failed. After unsuccessful attempts to restart the engine in flight, the pilot performed an emergency landing in a plowed field approximately 600 meters short of the runway threshold. Upon touchdown, the nose gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to capsize. There was no fire or fuel leakage reported following the impact.
The investigation
Investigators examined the fuel remaining in the aircraft's system following the accident. It was determined that approximately 7 to 8 liters of fuel had been drained from the tanks. According to the Cessna 150 Pilot's Operating Handbook, the unusable fuel quantity for this aircraft is 11.5 liters. The investigation focused on the flight planning, the impact of environmental conditions on fuel consumption, and the engine's operational state during the final leg.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was engine failure due to fuel exhaustion.
- The pilot failed to accurately calculate the required flight duration and fuel consumption, specifically failing to account for the increased burn rate caused by flying into heavy headwinds.
- The prolonged use of high engine RPM and continuous carburetor heat contributed to a higher fuel consumption rate than originally estimated in the flight plan.