What happened
On the evening of April 14, 2004, a Piper PA 18 A 150 Super Cub, registered F-GEDJ, departed from Béziers aerodrome on runway 2ឡើង8. The flight was a local operation conducted by a pilot with approximately 2,000 total flight hours.
During the initial climb, once the aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 150 meters, the pilot retracted the flaps and began a right-hand turn. At this stage, the engine began to misfire. Despite several attempts to adjust the throttle, the engine ceased operation entirely. Unable to find a more suitable landing site, the pilot performed an emergency landing in a field of young vines. The aircraft came to a stop after traveling approximately 80 meters, resulting in slight damage to the airframe.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the engine failure and the configuration of the fuel system. Investigators examined the fuel selector valve and the pilot's actions during the transition from taxi to climb. The investigation established that while the pilot had selected the fullest fuel tank during taxi, the fuel selector was found in the "OFF" position following the landing.
Findings
- The engine failure was caused by the fuel selector valve being set to the "OFF" position.
- The pilot intended to move the selector to the "BOTH" position during the climb but inadvertently moved it to the "OFF" position.
- The pilot lacked specific experience on this particular aircraft type, having previously only flown in the rear seat as a passenger on this airframe.