What happened
On June 18, 2002, a Cessna 172N, registration EC-GAY, departed Valencia Airport for Granada Airport under VFR conditions. The flight crew, consisting of one instructor and two students, was cruising at 8,500 feet near Peal de Becerro, Jaén, when the engine suddenly failed. After unsuccessful attempts to restart the engine, the pilot executed emergency procedures, including shutting off the master switch, alternator, power, and fuel, before initiating a descent.
The pilot identified a field with a 245-degree orientation as a suitable landing site. The aircraft touched down smoothly using full flaps; however, the terrain was recently plowed and extremely loose. Upon contact with the ground, the nose gear sank into the soft soil and collapsed. This caused the aircraft to capsize and come to rest upside down. While the three occupants sustained only minor bruises and were able to evacuate the aircraft without difficulty, the aircraft suffered significant damage to the landing gear, both wings, the empennage, the rudder, and the fuselage.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft at the scene and confirmed that the flight controls remained continuous, although the rudder was deformed and jammed. No leaks were found in the fuel tanks, lines, or engine. The engine was found to be in working order, with no damage other than that caused by the capsize. Analysis of the fuel tanks revealed they contained only unusable fuel, leading investigators to conclude that the engine stopped due to fuel exhaustion.
To determine the fuel state, investigators calculated the consumption from previous flights. The aircraft had been refueled to its 40-gallon capacity two days prior. Based on the flight logs from the preceding day, the tanks contained approximately 19.41 gallons at the start of the incident flight. While the direct route from Valencia to Granada requires approximately 16.15 gallons, the flight had lasted 2.5 hours—roughly 36 minutes longer than the standard estimated time. This delay was attributed to significant headwind components of 15 to 20 knots observed during the flight.
Findings
- The primary cause of the engine failure was fuel exhaustion.
- The choice of an unsuitable landing site—specifically, recently plowed and loose soil—directly caused the nose gear collapse and subsequent capsize.
- The flight duration exceeded estimates due to unpredicted headwind conditions.
- The crew failed to identify the decreasing fuel levels, either due to a lack of monitoring or inaccurate instrument readings.
- The pilot's initial fuel estimation was based on visual checks of the gauges, which indicated three-quarters full.