Flight Details
On Friday, August 5, 2005, at 18:15 local time, a Cessna 172N, registration EC-HXC, operated by Fly Looping, was on a banner-towing flight. The flight originated from Vélez-Málaga Aerodrome and was intended to return there. The pilot, a 27-year-old commercial pilot with 780 total flight hours (400 on type), was the sole occupant.
Accident Sequence
After approximately two hours of flight, while in the vicinity of Almería Airport, the aircraft performed a turn to return to Vélez-Málaga. Immediately after the turn, the engine stopped. The pilot released the banner and directed the aircraft toward a beach for an emergency landing. The aircraft touched down in the water about 10 meters from the beach, rolled onto the beach on its landing gear, then nosed over and inverted, sliding several meters before stopping.
Investigation Findings
The pilot reported that the fuel selector had been set to BOTH initially, then switched to RIGHT tank due to an observed asymmetry in fuel gauges. At engine failure, the fuel selector was found in the OFF position. Approximately 50 liters of fuel were drained from the left tank and 35 liters from the right. Engine inspection revealed no malfunctions, and no issues were found with the fuel system. The pilot stated that after the engine stoppage, he checked magnetos and attempted restart without success. Due to an altitude of about 500 feet, he could not perform further actions. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to its structure. The pilot was uninjured and exited the aircraft unassisted.
Probable Cause
The investigation concluded that a probable cause was that the pilot inadvertently left the fuel selector valve in the closed position when changing tank selection, interrupting fuel flow to the engine.