Circumstances
On Friday 25 May 2012 at 17:10 local time, a Cessna 208B, registered D-FAAF, was on a parachute drop flight. The pilot had taken off at 16:50 and climbed to FL105 for the drop. After the parachutists exited, the pilot began a descent with the power lever at idle, propeller at 1650 rpm, flaps retracted, a descent rate of 3500 ft/min, and an indicated airspeed of 150 kt.
On final approach for runway 08, the pilot extended flaps to approximately 20°. The airspeed was 90 kt, and the propeller was in fine pitch. At about 700 ft QNH, the pilot applied a slight power increase to maintain the glide path, then returned the power lever to idle. Immediately, the turbine engine stopped completely, and the propeller feathered.
The pilot verified the position of the fuel selectors and attempted to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful. Unable to reach the runway, he executed a forced landing in a field to the right, approximately 800 m from the runway threshold. The aircraft came to rest in a vineyard.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a valid professional pilot license and a declaration of competence (DNC) for parachute dropping. He had accumulated approximately 1,900 flight hours, including 850 hours on the Cessna 208B and 400 hours of parachute drop operations.
Investigation
Examination of the wreckage revealed that approximately 2 × 250 lb of Jet A1 fuel remained in the tanks. The engine showed no apparent anomaly. The fuel control unit and fuel pump were tested on a bench and no malfunctions were found. Further examination of the turbine was not possible.
Conclusion
The investigation was unable to determine the causes of the in-flight engine stop.