What happened
During an aerial spreading mission, an aircraft experienced a sudden loss of power immediately following departure. In an attempt to manage the emergency, the pilot released the payload and activated the fuel boost pump. Although this provided a brief period of engine functionality, the power source failed entirely shortly thereafter.
With the engine non-operational, the pilot executed a landing attempt downwind. During the final stages of the landing roll, the aircraft veered off the path and entered a gully, where it struck several tree stumps. The impact resulted in the aircraft being destroyed beyond repair. The pilot sustained slight injuries during the incident.
Findings
The investigation determined that the engine failure was caused by fuel exhaustion. It was discovered that the pilot lacked accurate information regarding the volume of fuel added during the most recent refueling. Consequently, the crew relied on inaccurate fuel gauge readings to estimate the remaining flight duration, leading to an unexpected depletion of fuel.