Synopsis
On 19 September 2006, a Cessna T303 Crusader, registration D-IAFC, operated as a commercial cargo flight from Braunschweig, Germany, to Oxford, England, ditched in the North Sea approximately 9.5 nm southeast of Aldeburgh, Suffolk. Both engines failed after fuel exhaustion. The pilot suffered a fractured vertebra and was rescued by a Royal Air Force Search and Rescue helicopter.
Background
Four days before the accident, the pilot flew D-IAFC from Braunschweig (EDVE) to Bratislava (LZIB) and back. He believed he filled the fuel tanks to full before returning to EDVE; that flight took 1 hour 59 minutes. The aircraft was not flown again until the accident flight.
On the morning of the accident, the pilot agreed to an ad hoc cargo charter from EDVE to Oxford (Kidlington) Airport (EGTK). He asked a friend in Hanover to prepare the routing, fuel plan, and submit the ATC flight plan. The pilot calculated that fuel remaining from the previous flight would suffice based on his experience with a fuel flow meter, estimating an endurance of 5 hours 30 minutes with full fuel and careful leaning. With a planned flight time of 2 hours 30 minutes, he believed 3 hours 30 minutes remained. He did not refuel to full tanks because he thought that would exceed maximum takeoff weight. Before departure, the fuel gauges indicated three-quarters full.
Flight History
D-IAFC departed EDVE at 1003 UTC with 262 lb of cargo. The aircraft climbed to FL100 and cruised at a true airspeed of 170 kt, groundspeed approximately 160 kt. The route went west through Germany and southern Holland into UK airspace. The flight progressed without incident until after crossing the UK FIR boundary at REFSO at 1158 hrs. At 1212 hrs, 30 nm from the Suffolk coast, the right engine began running roughly. The pilot suspected water in fuel and switched on the booster pump; the engine recovered momentarily then stopped. The fuel gauges were in the red sector. The pilot transmitted a PAN call, reporting fuel shortage. ATC advised Stansted Airport (72 nm away) and later Clacton Airport (38.6 nm). The pilot estimated five minutes of fuel and declared an emergency.
At 1217 hrs, the pilot reported the right engine had stopped and only the left was working. Three minutes later, the left engine also failed. The pilot transferred to the Distress and Diversion frequency and reported both engines dead. He planned to ditch near a ship. The aircraft descended from FL100 at about 500 ft/min.
Ditching
At 1225:30 hrs, the pilot reported at 1,500 ft, 9 nm from the coast. He removed his headset and prepared for ditching. The aircraft's ditching checklist was performed from memory. The pilot positioned the aircraft parallel to a ship's heading to facilitate rescue. At about 100 ft, he opened the emergency hatch. The aircraft touched down tail-first at about 80 kt, then the fuselage contacted the sea. The aircraft did not break up. The pilot unstrapped, abandoned through the hatch, climbed onto the right wing, and entered the water. Water entered the cabin through the open hatch; the aircraft sank after about three minutes. The accident occurred at 1228 hrs.
Rescue
The ditching was witnessed by a ship's crew, who launched a lifeboat. A Royal Air Force Search and Rescue helicopter from RAF Wattisham scrambled at 1226 hrs and reached the scene by 1245 hrs, winching the pilot on board. The pilot suffered from cold water immersion and was flown to a hospital in Ipswich, where a fractured vertebra was diagnosed. The ship's lifeboat recovered no wreckage; no evidence of pollution was found.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined that the aircraft had run out of fuel due to insufficient fuel for the intended journey being on board at the start of the flight.