Incident Overview
On August 5, 2008, a Piper PA 28-181 Archer operated by a local flying club was involved in an accident near Essen, Germany. The investigation report, issued by the German Federal Aviation Office (BFU) under reference number 3X116-0/08, concluded that the event was caused by fuel exhaustion. The pilot sustained minor injuries, while the aircraft suffered heavy damage. No third-party damages were reported.
Flight Sequence and Events
The flight originated in Trier with a full tank of fuel. The pilot departed under visual flight rules for Bonn-Hangelar, where three passengers boarded. The route included a stopover in Nordhausen before proceeding to Celle-Arloh. At Celle, the pilot was unable to refuel due to a lack of available fuel during his stay. Relying on his visual inspection of the wing tanks, which he deemed sufficient, the pilot departed for Essen-Mülheim at 16:26 local time.
Approximately seven nautical miles from the destination airport, the engine began to sputter and subsequently failed. The pilot executed an emergency landing on a concrete road within a construction site in the city area of Essen. During the rollout, the aircraft crossed a ditch and collided with an earthen mound. This impact caused the landing gear to break off and resulted in damage to the wings and the forward fuselage.
Aircraft and Pilot Details
The aircraft was a four-seat low-wing monoplane with fixed landing gear, powered by a 180 HP Lycoming O-360-A4M carbureted engine. The maximum takeoff mass was 1,157 kg. At the time of the incident, both wing tanks contained 190 liters of fuel, of which 182 liters were usable according to the flight manual.
The pilot held a private pilot license obtained in 1989 and possessed approximately 2,000 hours of total flight experience. Post-accident inspections revealed that both tanks contained only one liter of residual fuel each. The pilot reported that at the onset of engine sputtering, the left tank gauge indicated empty while the right showed five gallons (approximately 19 liters).
Operational Context
The total flight time since the last refueling was recorded as 4 hours and 19 minutes. This duration included segments from Trier to Bonn (30 minutes), Bonn to Nordhausen (1 hour 12 minutes), Nordhausen to Celle (1 hour), and Celle to Essen (1 hour 37 minutes). Meteorological conditions were favorable for visual flight, with a headwind of 15 knots from 260 degrees at the selected cruising altitude.