What happened
On 25 September 2015, a Cessna 182-R, registration PH-RPH, was conducting aerial work involving parachute drops at Roanne Renaison aerodrome. After completing an initial positioning flight from Saint-Yan, the pilot began a series of drop rotations. During the third rotation, while descending through 1,900 ft, the engine suddenly shut down. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful.
After declaring the emergency on the aerodrome frequency, the pilot attempted a long final approach for runway 20. Realizing the aircraft could not reach the runway, the pilot opted for an emergency landing. During the final stages of the approach, the pilot performed a pitch-up maneuver to avoid trees, which triggered the stall warning. The aircraft subsequently made a hard landing, bounced 17 meters, and came to a stop 880 meters from the runway threshold, resulting in severe damage to the aircraft and one injury to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the aircraft's fuel state and the pilot's operational planning. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the right fuel tank was empty, while the left tank contained only 3 liters of fuel. The aircraft was not equipped with a low fuel level warning system.
Investigators reviewed the pilot's flight planning and fuel estimates. The pilot had topped up the tanks with 20 liters after the positioning flight. While the pilot estimated a consumption rate that would allow for the completion of the third rotation, the investigation found that the total fuel required for the planned activity—accounting for regulatory reserves and unusable fuel—was approximately 140 liters.
Findings
- The primary cause of the engine shutdown was fuel starvation.
- The pilot underestimated the hourly fuel consumption required for the heavy aircraft configuration.
- The initial fuel estimation for the activity failed to account for the required regulatory fuel reserves and the amount of unusable fuel.
- The hard landing was caused by a late avoidance maneuver to clear obstacles on the glide path, which brought the aircraft close to a stall.