Flight Details
The flight was an agricultural operation involving the distribution of solid fertilizer. It was the tenth flight of the morning. At 12:00 local time, after completing a low pass and initiating a right turn, the pilot observed the engine running roughly and then stopping. He made a radio call to the base, shut down the magnetos, ignition, and fuel system, and selected a nearby fallow field for an emergency landing.
Aircraft and Crew Information
The aircraft was a Cessna T188C, registration EC-ECE, serial T-18803935-T, manufactured in 1982. It was powered by a Continental TSIO-520T engine (310 HP). The pilot, aged 41, held a Commercial Pilot License with 3,500 total flight hours, including 800 hours on type. His license was issued on February 27, 1990, with a next renewal due in December 2001, and his last medical certificate was from December 2000.
Accident Sequence
The pilot landed in a muddy field. The hopper nozzle, used for spreading solid fertilizer, became embedded in the mud and acted as a lever, causing the aircraft to nose over. The aircraft came to rest inverted. The pilot, wearing harnesses, was able to release himself but needed assistance to exit due to cabin deformation. He sustained minor contusions and was taken to Écija hospital for medical examination. The aircraft sustained significant damage to the wings, propeller, engine, and tail.
Investigation Findings
Examination of the engine after the accident revealed no anomalies that could not be attributed to impact damage. The propeller had one blade bent and the other intact, consistent with the engine being stopped at impact. Fuel system inspection found that one wing tank contained fuel while the other was empty. The aircraft's fuel system consists of two wing tanks feeding a collector tank. The investigation considered three hypotheses: fuel system blockage, water contamination, or fuel starvation due to one tank being empty. Blockage was deemed unlikely because the fuel system was not replaced during subsequent repairs and showed no issues. Water contamination was considered improbable because previous refueling from the same source had caused no problems. The most probable cause was that one fuel tank was empty, and during the right turn the collector tank ran out of fuel, allowing air to enter the engine and causing it to stop. The pilot's low altitude prevented a restart, forcing an emergency landing. The fuel quantity indicators are known to be unreliable during non-standard maneuvers such as sideslips, which are common during fertilizer application.