History
On 26 April 2003, a Cessna F 172 (registration I-AMCB) departed from Belluno airport at approximately 13:40 UTC with a pilot and one passenger for a tourist flight under visual flight rules (VFR) without a flight plan. The intended destination was Trento Mattarello, with a planned route via Feltre, Castello Tesino, Borgo Valsugana, and Lago di Levico. The departure was from runway 23.
Cruise proceeded with light turbulence. At 14:27 UTC, the pilot contacted Trento, reporting being south of the city and requesting a direct landing for runway 18. At 14:32 UTC, he reported short final for runway 18 and received wind information (headwind 18 knots) with landing at discretion. One minute later, at 14:33 UTC, the pilot declared an emergency due to engine shutdown.
The aircraft then struck fruit trees located north of runway 18's threshold, approximately 70 meters from the threshold. The occupants, reported as unharmed, evacuated the aircraft autonomously.
Aircraft Damage
The impact caused a tear in the lower left engine cowling and multiple dents on the upper cowling. The engine mount tube was bent near the tear. The engine and fuel system were undamaged. One propeller blade was intact, the other slightly bent rearward. The left wheel cover was damaged, and the nose wheel cover was destroyed. Both wings had tears, flaps were deformed, and the tailplane was heavily damaged.
Other Damage
Two fruit trees in the orchard adjacent to the airport were damaged by the aircraft.
Pilot Information
The pilot, a 20-year-old Italian male, held a private pilot license issued on 29 December 2002, which was valid at the time.
Cause
The investigation determined that the accident was caused by total fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors included inadequate flight planning by the pilot, who did not consider an intermediate landing for refueling or an alternative route to accommodate landing in headwind conditions.