What happened
On February 6, 2019, a Cessna 172P, registration EC-IOX, was engaged in a solo training flight as part of a student pilot's requirements for a Private Pilot License. The flight originated from Cuatro Vientos Airport in Madrid, with planned stops at Córdoba and Sevilla airports.
After arriving at Córdoba, the pilot decided to skip refueling, believing there was sufficient fuel to reach the final destination in Sevilla. Approximately 15 minutes after departing Córdoba, the engine stopped due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot attempted an emergency landing in a cultivated field near Almodóvar del Río. During the landing attempt, the aircraft encountered uneven terrain, causing the nose wheel to catch in a furrow and resulting in the aircraft flipping onto its back. The pilot was uninjured, but the aircraft sustained significant damage to the fuselage and vertical stabilizer.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's maintenance, fuel logs, and the pre-flight procedures performed by both the student and the supervising instructor. Investigators reviewed the fuel records, which showed the aircraft had been fully refueled the previous day in Sevilla but had since completed approximately three hours of flight time.
The investigation also looked into the pre-flight inspection process. It was discovered that while the instructor and student performed a visual check of the fuel levels, the instructor failed to use a fuel dipstick (pipette) to verify the actual quantity. Furthermore, the student was unable to perform a manual measurement because the dipstick had been moved to a different location in the aircraft and was not found during the student's secondary check.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the engine failure caused by fuel exhaustion during flight.
- The aircraft lost control during the emergency landing due to the uneven surface of the landing site, which led to the rollover.
- The instructor's pre-flight inspection was ineffective because it relied on a visual estimation rather than a physical measurement with a dipstick.
- The student pilot failed to follow the instructor's specific instructions to refuel at the Córdoba airport.
- The student's decision to continue the flight was based on an incorrect estimation of remaining fuel endurance, as the pilot believed the tanks were much fuller than they actually were.