Cessna 172N Emergency Landing in Jaén Due to Engine Failure (EC-GAY)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On 18 June 2002, a Cessna 172N with registration EC-GAY, manufactured in 1978 and powered by a single Lycoming O-320-H2AD engine, departed Valencia Airport around 08:30 local time. The aircraft was operating under visual flight rules (VFR) for a general aviation dual instruction flight, with a pilot instructor and two students aboard. The intended destination was Granada Airport. ## Sequence of Events While cruising at 8,500 feet near Peal de Becerro in the province of Jaén, the engine stopped. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful and initiated an emergency landing procedure. This included shutting off the master, alternator, power, and fuel, and beginning a descent. The pilot identified a suitable plot of land with a major side oriented at 245 degrees and approached with full flaps. The aircraft made a soft initial contact, but the loose, recently plowed ground caused the nose wheel to sink and break, resulting in the aircraft overturning and coming to rest upside down. ## Injuries and Damage All three occupants sustained minor bruises and were able to exit the aircraft unassisted, as no doors were blocked. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the landing gear, both wings, the vertical stabilizer, the rudder, and the fuselage. ## Investigation and Analysis An on-site inspection revealed that the flight controls remained continuous, though the rudder was blocked due to deformation. No fuel leaks were found in the tanks, lines, or engine. The fuel tanks contained only unusable fuel, and the engine showed no damage beyond that caused by the overturning, turning over correctly. The investigation concluded that the engine stopped due to fuel exhaustion. The aircraft had been refueled to its maximum capacity of 40 gallons on 16 June 2002. On 17 June, it completed three flights, consuming approximately 20.59 gallons, leaving an estimated 19.41 gallons for the incident flight. The great-circle distance between Valencia and Granada is approximately 207 nautical miles. Under standard conditions (8,000 feet, 2,400 RPM, 109 knots indicated airspeed, no wind), the flight would require 16.15 gallons, theoretically leaving a 3.26-gallon reserve. However, the engine stopped after approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes of flight time, about 36 minutes longer than the standard estimate. Wind data from 06:00 and 12:00 UTC indicated southwest winds of 15 and 10 knots, respectively, at flight level 100, which were nearly headwinds. Other crews reported similar headwinds of 15 to 20 knots shortly after the incident, explaining the increased flight duration. Before the flight, the pilot estimated the fuel quantity at 30 gallons based on fuel gauges reading three-quarters, verified visually. The crew was unaware of the low fuel state until the engine stopped, suggesting either the gauges were not monitored, their indication was incorrect, or fuel management during the flight was inadequate. ## Safety Recommendations Following the incident, the operator changed its fueling policy to require full tanks for all non-local flights. Safety Recommendation REC. 29/02 was issued, noting that many general aviation aircraft have low-precision fuel indication systems without reserve or exhaustion alerts. Pilots and operators of aircraft with float-based fuel quantity systems were recommended to verify fuel measurements using alternative and complementary methods beyond visual gauge checks to improve accuracy and reliability.