What happened
On Wednesday, April 26, 2000, a Cessna 152, registration F-GHVZ, was engaged in a solo flight following an initial solo flight earlier that day. The student pilot, who had 28 total flight hours, decided to deviate from the planned aerodrome circuits to perform a cross-country navigation route from Toussins-le-Noble to Chartres and Etampes without consulting an instructor.
Approximately one hour into the flight, while the pilot was integrating into the traffic pattern at Etampes, the engine stopped. After performing emergency procedures, the pilot contacted the control tower to request an emergency landing. The aircraft landed at the aerodrome without any fatalities or injuries.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the fuel levels and the pilot's pre-flight planning. Post-landing inspections revealed that 93.54 liters of fuel were added to the aircraft. Given that the usable fuel capacity of this Cessna 152 is 93 liters, the aircraft had essentially been flying on empty.
The investigation examined the aircraft's logbook, which showed that a full refueling had occurred on April 25, prior to a flight lasting two hours and eighteen minutes. A subsequent 42-minute flight was completed on April 26 before the flight in question. The pilot stated that while checking the gauges before takeoff, he estimated a remaining endurance of approximately one hour and forty-five minutes. However, he admitted to not physically verifying the fuel levels in the tanks.
Findings
- The engine failure was caused by fuel exhaustion.
- The pilot relied on an erroneous reading of the logbook and failed to cross-reference this information with other indicators.
- The pilot incorrectly assumed the aircraft had been refueled at the conclusion of the previous day's flight, whereas the logbook indicated the refueling occurred at the start of that flight.
- The pilot did not perform a physical check of the fuel quantity in the tanks prior to departure.