Cessna 152 EC-EQN Water Landing in Alfás del Pi

Incident Overview and Flight Details On August 4, 2011, at 19:15 local time, a Cessna 152 with registration EC-EQN made an emergency water landing in a beach area of Alfás del Pi, Alicante, Spain. The aircraft was operating a private visual flight rules (VFR) flight and had departed from Mutxamel aerodrome at approximately 18:40 local time. The flight was conducted at an altitude of 1,500 feet under optimal weather conditions. ## Aircraft and Crew Information The aircraft was a 1977 Cessna 152, powered by a single Lycoming O-235-L2C engine. The pilot in command was a 38-year-old commercial pilot with 6,000 total flight hours and 3,500 hours on type. The aircraft had a total airframe time of 10,021 hours and an engine time of 2,322 hours at the time of the incident. ## Sequence of Events Prior to the flight, the pilot and an instructor conducted a familiarization flight in the same aircraft, which included a circuit with two landings. Before the final takeoff, the pilot observed that the fuel indicator was near zero. After checking the aircraft's endurance and flight time since the last refueling, the pilot estimated a maximum flight time of 45 minutes. Twenty minutes into the flight, the pilot decided to return to the aerodrome. Approximately five minutes later, the engine began to sputter and stopped. During the descent, the pilot made several unsuccessful attempts to restart the engine. Unable to find a suitable landing site, the pilot directed the aircraft toward the coast and made a water landing on the beach at Alfás del Pi. ## Survival and Recovery Both occupants opened the doors before impact to prevent them from becoming blocked. The pilot exited quickly but had to return to assist the passenger, who was unable to release the seatbelt due to stress while the cabin was nearly submerged. Both were rescued by beach lifeguards and were uninjured. The aircraft was recovered from the sea with damage to the nose gear, engine cowling, and windshield, as well as corrosion from seawater. ## Investigation Findings Fuel recovered from the tanks totaled approximately 15 liters, consisting of 14 liters of water and 1 liter of fuel. The fuel filter contained only water. Inspection of the fuel and ignition systems showed no signs of malfunction, and the fuel gauges remained functional. The standard endurance of the aircraft is 4 hours. Based on refueling records, the average fuel consumption was estimated at 21 liters per hour. The flight time from the last refueling to the incident was 4 hours and 5 minutes. ## Probable Cause The probable cause of the accident was fuel exhaustion, resulting from an erroneous calculation of the fuel quantity in the tanks. Considering the tanks were full after the last refueling, the time flown before the incident was 3 hours and 40 minutes, plus the 25 minutes of the final flight. The fuel indication in the cabin, despite its imprecision, already indicated a low fuel volume.