What happened
On April 3, 2010, a Cessna 182N departed from the Landshut airfield for a scheduled sightseeing flight. The aircraft was carrying the pilot and three passengers. Shortly after takeoff, approximately one hour into the flight, the pilot notified Landshut tower via radio that the engine was experiencing problems, noting that the engine had begun to sputter.
In response to the engine issues, the pilot performed an emergency landing with the flaps retracted. Upon touchdown, the aircraft veered diagonally across a field, striking an embankment along a road after traveling approximately 32 meters. The impact caused the aircraft to overturn, eventually coming to rest on its back on the opposite side of the road. The accident resulted in four serious injuries among the occupants and the destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The BFU investigation focused on the engine performance and the fuel system configuration. Prior to the flight, the aircraft had undergone a 200-hour inspection at a maintenance organization, which included testing the fuel selector system. The maintenance technician stated that the fuel selector lever was left in the "Right Tank" position following the inspection.
Investigators examined the wreckage and found the cockpit heavily damaged and the nose section compressed. While the pilot could not confirm the fuel distribution of the 5ered liters of Avgas added before the flight, investigators discovered a significant imbalance between the wing tanks. The left tank contained approximately 100 liters of fuel, whereas the right tank held only 1.8 liters, a quantity below the unusable fuel limit specified in the pilot's operating handbook. The fuel selector lever was found in the "Right Tank" position and was stuck, preventing it from being moved after the crash. No mechanical defects were identified in the aircraft's technical components.