What happened
On June 16, 2004, at 2/35 PM local time, a Cessna 152, registration EC-HJG, operated by Airman, Centro de Formación Aeronáutica, performed an emergency landing in a field near Leganés, Madrid. The aircraft was conducting a dual instruction flight involving an instructor and a student pilot.
The flight departed from Cuatro Vientos Airport at 7:15 PM. After completing a series of planned maneuvers including climbs, descents, and turns, the student pilot requested additional unplanned exercises. While the aircraft was approximately 2 to 3 miles from the airfield, approaching the visual approach pattern, the engine experienced a sudden loss of power. The instructor immediately declared an emergency and utilized a suitable area of terrain to execute an emergency landing. The crew and the aircraft remained uninjured and the aircraft sustained only minor damage.
The investigation
Following the incident, technical personnel from the flight school inspected the aircraft. The investigation established that the engine failure was the direct result of fuel exhaustion.
Investigators reviewed the aircraft's maintenance and fuel records. The aircraft had a total of 11,397 flight hours and had recently undergone a 50-hour inspection. The investigation also examined the operator's fuel monitoring procedures, which relied on verbal reports of flight time elapsed since the last refueling. Data analysis showed that while the standard fuel consumption was approximately 20 liters per hour, recent flight patterns involving maneuvers at lower altitudes had increased consumption to between 23.8 and 25.6 liters per hour.
Findings
- The primary cause of the engine failure was the lack of fuel in the tanks.
- The flight duration was extended beyond the original flight plan due to the decision to perform additional maneuvers.
- There was an erroneous assessment of the available fuel during pre-flight preparations.
- Several contributing factors were identified, including the possibility of an incomplete refueling during the previous session, imprecise recording of flight times in the aircraft logbook, and the engine mixture being set to a rich setting.
Safety action
As a corrective measure, the flight school implemented a new policy requiring that all fuel tanks be filled to capacity before the commencement of any flight operation.