What happened
On August 5, 2008, a Piper PA 28-181 Archer departed from Celle-Arloh, Germany, bound for Essen-Mülheim. The flight was part of a larger itinerary that had begun in Trier, with intermediate stops in Bonn-Hangelar and Nordhausen. Due to a lack of available fuel at the airfield in Celle, the pilot was unable to refuel before continuing the flight.
While flying approximately 7 NM from the destination at Essen-Mülheim, the engine began to sputter and subsequently failed. The pilot performed an emergency landing on a concrete construction road within the Essen urban area. During the landing sequence, the aircraft entered an unpaved section of the construction site and struck an earthen mound. The impact caused the landing gear to break and resulted in significant damage to the wings and the forward fuselage. The pilot sustained light injuries.
The investigation
The BFU investigation examined the fuel levels and the flight history of the aircraft. Records indicated that the total flight time since the last refueling was 4 hours and 19 minutes. Investigators found that both wing tanks were nearly empty at the time of the accident, with only approximately 1 liter of fuel remaining in each tank.
According to the pilot, when the engine began to sputter, the fuel gauges indicated that the left tank was empty while the right tank showed approximately 19 liters (5 gallons) remaining. The investigation also noted that the pilot had visually inspected the fuel levels in both tanks prior to the departure from Celle and had deemed the remaining fuel sufficient for the flight, even including a potential diversion to Münster-Telgte if refueling had been possible.
Findings
- The primary cause of the engine failure was fuel exhaustion.
- The pilot's visual inspection of the fuel levels was insufficient to ensure safe reserves for the flight duration.
- A 15-knot headwind during the flight from Celle to Essen likely contributed to the increased fuel consumption.