Incident Overview
A Britten-Norman BN-2B-27 Islander sustained substantial damage after performing a forced landing on a beach in Merseyside. The aircraft was operating an early morning mail service from Manchester Airport to Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man.
Sequence of Events
The commander arrived at the aircraft at approximately 03:45 hours. Internal checks were completed using normal cockpit lighting in darkness. Preflight administration was finished, and the commander was ready to start engines at about 04:50 hours. The aircraft took off at 05:09 hours under a Special Visual Flight Rules clearance, turned right onto a northwesterly heading, and climbed to an initial cruising altitude of 1,000 feet.
Just prior to crossing the coast, as conditions were conducive to carburettor icing, the commander selected HOT air on both engines for 30 seconds. At that time, the aircraft was cruising at 2,000 feet at 120–130 knots with both engines set at 24 inches manifold pressure and 2,300 RPM.
When the aircraft was about 2 nautical miles out to sea, the port engine surged and then stopped. Shortly afterward, the starboard engine did the same. At 05:28 hours, the commander informed Liverpool Approach of a problem and his intention to attempt a forced landing at Woodvale Airfield. He turned back toward the shore, selected the TIP/MAIN switch to TIP, and reduced indicated airspeed to about 65 knots during descent. The aircraft did not reach Woodvale; a forced landing was carried out on the beach.
Post-Landing Observations
While making the aircraft safe, the commander noticed that both fuel cock selectors were positioned so that both engines had been feeding from the right fuel tank. He then selected both fuel cocks to OFF and vacated the aircraft uninjured. The aircraft had landed on flat sand but struck a soft patch, causing collapse of the nose and right main undercarriage, and damage to the nose and wing centre section. Recovery attempts by local services severely damaged the tailplane and likely caused sideway failure of the left undercarriage. The aircraft was totally submerged during a subsequent high tide.
Examination and Fuel State
Examination of the aircraft before recovery showed no evidence of pre-impact failure in the engine or flying controls. The fuel state was approximately 289 liters, with the right main tank empty.
Probable Cause
Double engine failure caused by a fuel exhaustion as the fuel selector was positioned on an empty tank. 289 liters of fuel remained in other tanks at the time of the accident.