What happened
A solo pilot was operating an executive aircraft on a flight from Cologne Airport toward Ostend. During the descent, while attempting to position the plane into a tailwind for a visual approach, the aircraft experienced a simultaneous loss of power in both engines. Upon realizing the destination airport was no longer reachable, the pilot notified air traffic control and lowered the altitude to attempt an emergency landing.
The aircraft subsequently crashed in an open field situated approximately 4 km southeast of Ostend, near Snaaskerke. The impact resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and caused one injury to the pilot.
Findings
Investigations into the incident determined that the dual engine failure was caused by fuel exhaustion resulting from the extended use of auxiliary fuel tanks. During the cruise portion of the flight, both engines were drawing from these secondary tanks. After 38 minutes of flight time, the lack of fuel led to the near-simultaneous shutdown of both powerplants.
Several contributing factors were identified regarding the management of the aircraft's systems:
- The pilot failed to monitor the fuel gauges for the auxiliary tanks adequately.
- Instructions within the Owner’s Manual, which advise against using auxiliary tanks during approaches below 1,000 feet, were not followed.
- Necessary procedures for a rapid engine restart were not executed effectively.
- The crew did not implement the recommended protocols for managing a forced landing with dual engine failure.
- The aircraft entered a stall at a very low altitude prior to impact.
Notably, there was still an adequate amount of fuel remaining in the primary main tanks at the time of the crash.