What happened
On July 19, 2024, a Cessna TR182 (RG), registration D-ELXC, was performing a local skydiving flight near the Vichy-Charliem aerodrome. After completing its second jump of the day, the aircraft was descending on the downwind leg of the left-hand circuit for runway 01. While attempting to adjust power to stabilize the aircraft, the pilot noticed the engine was no longer delivering power.
Realizing the aircraft was too low to reach the runway threshold, the pilot searched for a suitable landing site. During the approach to a field, the pilot performed a left-hand sidestep to avoid flying at a dangerously low altitude over an inhabited house. This maneuver caused the tip of the left-hand wing to strike a tree, which tore the wingtip off and destabilized the aircraft. The plane touched down in a nose-down attitude and performed a 180-degree ground loop, during which the right-hand wingtip struck a second tree.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the cause of the engine shutdown and the sequence of the landing. Investigators analyzed the aircraft's Engine Data Monitoring (EDM) computer, which revealed a lean air/fuel mixture signature approximately four minutes before the engine shut down. This pattern is characteristic of fuel starvation.
Examination of the aircraft showed that the propeller blades were bent backward, confirming the engine was not producing power at impact. While the fuel gauges were noted as unreliable by the pilot, investigators found that the left-hand wing tank still contained a significant amount of fuel, while the right-hand tank was empty. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's training and the operator's procedures regarding fuel management and selector checks.
Findings
- The engine shutdown was caused by fuel starvation because the fuel selector had been left in the right-hand tank position.
- The pilot failed to regularly check the fuel selector position, which remained set to the right tank from takeoff through both flights.
- The pilot's decision to fly a continuous descent during the aerodrome circuit delayed the detection of the engine failure, as the malfunction was only noticed when power was adjusted.
- The collision with the tree was a result of the pilot's necessary maneuver to avoid an obstacle (a house) during the emergency approach.