What happened
On June 11, 2003, a student pilot was conducting a solo cross-country flight as part of a requirements for a Recreational Pilot Licence. The flight plan involved a triangular route starting from Den Helder, visiting Lelystad and Seppe, and returning to Den Helder. The initial legs of the flight proceeded without issue.
While flying over Texel, the engine began to sputter and eventually stopped. The pilot performed the necessary engine checks and executed an emergency landing in a field near Oudeschild, notifying the Texel airport services of the 'mayday' call. Although the engine briefly restarted at an altitude of approximately 700 to 800 feet, the pilot attempted to continue to the airfield using a shortened circuit without flaps. However, the engine failed definitively near the airport, and the Reims F152, registration PH-CBG, came to a stop in a wheat field roughly 25 meters short of the runway. The pilot escaped without injury, though the aircraft sustained significant damage to the landing gear and propeller.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the fuel management practices leading up to the engine failure. Before departure, the pilot had used a dipstick to verify the fuel level at approximately 75% capacity, estimating a flight endurance of three and a half hours. This estimation suggested that refueling during the trip would not be necessary. Conversely, an instructor had checked the fuel and estimated the level at 80%, concluding that a refueling stop was required.
During a telephone conversation at Seppe, the pilot informed the instructor that the tanks were half full. Based on this statement, the instructor incorrectly assumed the pilot had already refueled. Furthermore, the investigation found that while the pilot had used a dipstick for the initial pre-flight check, they relied solely on cockpit gauges to monitor fuel levels during the flight. The investigation noted that these gauges are notoriously unreliable for precise measurements.
Findings
- The engine failure was caused by fuel exhaustion, with only about six liters of fuel remaining in the tanks.
- The pilot failed to perform a physical fuel check using the dipstick during the flight, relying instead on inaccurate cockpit indicators.
- There was a breakdown in communication between the instructor and the student; the instructor did not establish a clear, mandatory requirement for a refueling stop.
- The pilot's flight planning was overly optimistic regarding fuel consumption and endurance.