What happened
On February 2, 2002, at 17:30 local time, a Cessna L-19-A, registration EC-DRN, was performing a general aviation glider towing operation at the Igualada Aerodrome in Barcelona. After reaching an altitude of 1,700 feet, the pilot released the glider and began a descent to return to the runway. During the descent, at approximately 1,500 feet, the pilot executed a sideslip maneuver. As the aircraft leveled out at roughly 1,100 feet, the engine suddenly stopped.
Upon the loss of power, the pilot declared an emergency and attempted to restart the engine. When the restart attempt failed, the pilot opted to perform an emergency landing in a field located near a nearby highway. During the landing roll, the aircraft's nose pitched forward, causing the propeller to strike the ground. The aircraft sustained damage to the propeller, but the pilot remained uninjured.
The investigation
The investigation established that prior to the engine failure, the aircraft was utilizing the fuel tank located in the left wing. At the time of the incident, both wing tanks were approximately at one-quarter capacity. The investigation confirmed that the fuel delivery system in this aircraft operates via gravity feed.
Findings
- The engine failure was caused by a interruption of fuel flow to the engine.
- During the sideslip maneuver, the fuel level in the active tank was disrupted.
- It was determined that the maneuver caused the fuel to shift toward the wingtip, exposing the fuel pickup, or caused the fuel level to drop below the pump intake, leading to engine starvation.