What happened
On February 12, 2007, a Cessna 152, registration EC-EPJ, was conducting a dual-instruction flight departing from Cuatro Vientos Aerodrome. The flight, operated by Aerofan, included an instructor and a student pilot. After performing several take-offs and landings, the aircraft proceeded southwest of the airfield to perform maneuvers.
While descending through 4,500 ft during a 360-degree turn, the crew experienced intermittent power loss. The fuel gauges began to drop, eventually reading zero, followed by a complete engine failure. The instructor took control and attempted a restart, but was unable to do so. The instructor subsequently performed an emergency landing in a field near La Torre de Esteban Hambrán, Toledo. The terrain was soft due to recent rains and featured a 7.5-degree slope. During the landing, the nose wheel dug into the ground, causing the aircraft to capsize and come to rest in an inverted position. Both crew members escaped the aircraft uninjured.
The investigation
The CIAIAC examined the aircraft, the engine, and the maintenance records. Investigators inspected the Lycoming O-235-L2C engine and found no evidence of mechanical failure that could have caused the shutdown. While a missing exhaust nut and a dirty fuel drain were noted, these were not considered contributing factors to the engine stoppage. The investigation also focused on the fuel levels, noting that the fuel tanks were found to be empty upon inspection.
Calculations regarding fuel consumption indicated that the amount of fuel on board at the start of the flight was likely only around 30% of the usable capacity. This was significantly below the legal requirements set by Air Traffic Regulations, which would have required much higher reserves for the planned flight duration and the intended alternate aerodrome.
Findings
- The primary cause of the engine failure was fuel exhaustion.
- The crew failed to ensure sufficient fuel reserves were available for the planned flight duration and the required regulatory reserves.
- There were indications that the pre-flight inspection may not have been performed thoroughly, as the company's external inspection checklist was not found on board the aircraft.
- The time elapsed between the start of flight activities and takeoff was noted as being unusually short to allow for a complete and proper pre-flight inspection and engine run-up.