Incident
While en route from Braunschweig, Germany, to Oxford, England, the aircraft experienced engine trouble approximately 30 nautical miles from the English coast. The right engine began running roughly, and the fuel gauges indicated in the red sector. Shortly thereafter, the right engine failed, followed by the left engine. The aircraft, gliding from flight level 100, descended toward the Suffolk coast and ditched in the sea approximately 9.5 nautical miles southeast of Aldeburgh. The pilot abandoned the aircraft, which sank quickly.
Rescue
The pilot was rescued approximately 18 minutes after ditching by a Royal Air Force Search and Rescue helicopter and taken to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a fractured vertebra.
Investigation
The investigation determined that the aircraft had run out of fuel due to insufficient fuel being on board at the start of the flight. The wreckage was not recovered, but all evidence pointed to fuel exhaustion rather than a technical problem. Significant causal factors included the pilot's lack of awareness of the fuel quantity and the actual weight of the cargo on board aircraft D-IAFC prior to takeoff. A contributing factor was that the pilot did not monitor the reportedly unreliable fuel gauges, missing an opportunity to recognize the low fuel state and divert to a suitable airfield before the situation became critical.