What happened
On 7 February 2025, a Jodel DR1050-M, registration G-BIOI, was performing a general aviation flight from Kerry Airport to Aughrim Airstrip in Northern Ireland. During the return leg, approximately two hours into the flight, the engine power failed abruptly. The pilot in the right seat took control of the aircraft and attempted a forced landing in an agricultural field near Bawn, Co. Louth.
During the descent, the crew maneuvered the aircraft to avoid overhead electrical lines, which caused a loss of airspeed. As the aircraft approached the ground, it stalled and impacted the field heavily. The aircraft bounced twice, causing the right main landing gear to shear off. The aircraft subsequently tipped forward and came to rest inverted. While all three occupants exited the aircraft without assistance, the pilot in the right seat sustained fractured vertebrae and neck injuries, while the other two occupants suffered minor injuries.
The investigation
The AAIU examined the aircraft' and fuel systems following the accident. Investigators found that the rear fuel tank was empty, while the front tank contained only about 500 ml of fuel, indicating that the engine stoppage was caused by fuel exhaustion.
The investigation also looked into the pilot's refueling procedures. The pilot in the right seat had refueled the aircraft using a hand pump the previous evening. He described a process of visually checking the front tank by balancing on a wheel, which made it difficult to ensure the tank was truly full. Furthermore, the investigation noted that the fuel gauge for the rear tank was non-functional and had been disconnected, and the front tank's float-type indicator was not highly accurate.
Findings
- The engine failure was caused by the exhaustion of available fuel.
- The aircraft likely departed with an insufficient fuel quantity, as the pilot's method of verifying the front tank level was unreliable.
- The lack of functional fuel quantity indication for the rear tank prevented the crew from accurately monitoring remaining fuel during the flight.
- The decision to bypass a planned refueling stop at Navan Airfield due to changing weather may have created self-imposed pressure to continue the flight despite fuel concerns.